Black Widow
by just slummin
Summary: Part of the continuing MalRiver storyline. Follows Holiday Blues. On the way to deliver Lord Harrow's cattle, Mal runs into complications he didn't bargain for. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Black Widow**

**Part I—Birds, Bees, and Cows**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Author's Note: Takes place after the events of "Holiday Blues".

Summary: Once Serenity is spaceworthy again, Mal and crew set out to deliver Lord Harrow's cattle to their destination.

XXXXXXXXXX

Serenity set down with a satisfying thump in Lord Harrow's pasture. Mal thumbed the comm unit. "Everything shiny down there, Kaylee?" he asked.

Kaylee's voice filtered onto the bridge. "Shiny as the king of Londinium's crown," she said happily.

"Good to know," Mal answered, smiling down at River. "Guess that means we can get out into the Black soon's we can load up the cattle."

River nodded, flipping switches to power Serenity's engine down. "Murdocke sped the repair considerably. Four hands instead of two."

"Can't say much for his manner, but he seems to be a helluva engineer, at least," Mal agreed.

"That's precisely why Marcus hasn't thrown him out the airlock," River said seriously.

Mal chuckled. "Probably so." He paused for a moment, thinking about the crew of the Hit or Miss. "They were a good bunch of folk, though. Nice to think that there's more of us out there than it would seem, sometimes."

Zoe stepped onto the bridge. ""Us' meaning thieves or Independents?" she asked with the barest hint of a smile.

Mal considered the choices for a moment. "Both," he said, grinning. Turning to leave, he said, "Much as I'd like to stand here and palaver, I conjure it's time to go see a man about some cows."

XXXXXXXXXX

Jayne brushed the hay out of his hair and off his shirt. "Wish Mal wouldn't take this kinda' job," he grumbled. "Had enough of this kinda go se livin' at home without havin' to deal with it now. And we ain't even gettin' paid."

Inara smiled, wrinkling her nose slightly as Jayne stirred the air around. "Well, Lord Harrow did allow Serenity to take up his pasture land for the past few weeks while we had our little adventure with the explosive-filled fertilizer and got the repairs made to Serenity. We owe him something for that."

Jayne grunted. "Mal owes him something for that. Not me." He changed his shirt quickly, hating the smell of the cattle he'd helped Mal herd into the cargo bay. "'Sides, once we get in the air, it'll be me muckin' out the bay and feedin' 'em, and waterin' 'em, and…"

Inara held up her hand. "I get it, Jayne," she said. "But it is just a short trip. And they're really quite beautiful. Harrow only sends the best of the herd offworld."

Jayne rolled his eyes. "One cow's like another, far's I'm concerned. And I didn't notice that you went down to the cargo bay to admire them whilst we were loadin' 'em."

"I'll have plenty of time to see them later," Inara said calmly. "I was busy with other matters." She paused, waiting for Jayne to give her his undivided attention. "Matters like talking to the House Mistress of Madrassa."

Jayne looked at her sharply. "About what?"

"Well, I've been thinking about what the counselor said about your evaluation as a prospective official significant other for me."

"And?" Jayne asked, his heart hammering uncomfortably in his chest.

"And, I'm not firmly convinced I want to put you through the process," Inara said.

"You mean you don't think I'll pass muster," Jayne said flatly, sitting down heavily on Inara's couch.

"No, that's not at all what I mean," Inara said quickly. "I just know it will be a tedious and lengthy process, and I'm not sure I want to bother with it."

"So, you want to just keep on doin' what we're doin', and hope that none of your clients catch on?"

Inara swallowed thickly. "No, I don't," she answered. "That would be unfair to my clients, and to you. Besides, at least one of them already knows."

Jayne nodded, remembering all too well the unfortunate way Lemuel Grayson found out about him. "He said he wouldn't tell anybody."

"I know, but it's unfair to ask him to conceal it, and it would be unfair to any other client as well," Inara asserted. "I should never have let the situation develop as it has without making a concrete decision."

"So, you regret what we've done?" Jayne asked, wincing at the tone of hurt in his voice.

"No, not at all," Inara said, moving quickly to sit beside him on the couch. "I love you, Jayne Cobb, and I am eternally grateful that we are together. My only regret is that I have not handled things well professionally." She settled herself into Jayne's embrace, heedless of the scent of Harrow's cattle on her lover.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Jayne asked.

Inara shifted slightly in his arms. "I need to go to House Madrassa and appear before the tribunal there. I'll make an application for resignation from the Guild, and see exactly what will be involved."

Jayne was silent for several agonizing minutes. "You're gonna retire?" he asked softly.

"If I can," Inara said honestly. "The tribunal will assess the potential cost of early retirement, and if I can afford to do so, I will."

"You know I'll give you everything I got," Jayne offered.

"I know," Inara said softly. "But I'm fairly certain that neither of us has enough to buy out my contract."

"Then what will you do?" Jayne asked, beginning to feel uneasy about the whole thing.

"I'll think of something, when the time comes," Inara said, forcing a confidence into her voice that she didn't feel. "But first, I just need to see what is expected."

Jayne's mind reeled with the possibilities of what might be expected, but wisely he kept his thoughts to himself. "Whatever it is, we'll figure a way to do it," he said, tightening his grip on Inara's shoulders slightly.

"Yes," Inara said quietly. "We will."

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, we're back on Serenity now, Mama," Anya said, sitting on the catwalk beside Zoe watching the cattle with fascination as Serenity lifted off. She swung her feet slowly in the air.

"So we are," Zoe said, not sure where this conversation was headed.

"So," Anya said, dragging out the word into several syllables. "You said you'd tell me about making babies, once we got back home."

Zoe took a deep, calming breath. "Any particular reason you're wanting to know this right now?" she asked, looking at Anya carefully for a reaction.

Anya blushed. "Just want to know, is all," she answered. "Nothing wrong with asking about a thing if you don't understand it, is there?"

Zoe shook her head. "Nothing at all," she replied blandly. "In fact, there's something wrong with not asking if you want to know."

Anya nodded. "That's what I thought. So, how exactly do you make babies?"

"Well," Zoe began, praying quickly for an easy answer. "When a man and a woman care for each other, they may express that feeling in a special way."

"Like hugging and kissing?" Anya asked curiously.

Zoe closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, like that," she said.

"So, if I hug and kiss someone, I can make a baby?" Anya asked incredulously.

Zoe looked at her daughter in consternation. "Not exactly," she said, swallowing nervously. "First off, you're too young to be able to make a baby. Secondly, there is no one here for you to…hug and kiss like that." Seeing Anya's look of genuine confusion, Zoe found the strength to answer her plainly. "In the next few years, your body will be changing, and you will become a young woman instead of a girl. Then, you will be capable of nurturing a baby inside your body. But even when your body is ready, you will not be ready to be a mother for a long time, because mothers have a big job to do that you will not want to have on your shoulders for awhile yet."

Anya thought about Zoe's words for a long moment. "So when I am ready, how will….I mean, how does….?"

"It's sort of like the puzzles that you work on," Zoe said gently. "A woman's body and a man's body fit together in a special way. Then, the man plants a seed that grows in the woman until it becomes a little person. And that's how babies are made." She looked at her daughter intently, hoping that the simple explanation would suffice until some later time.

Anya's brow wrinkled with concentration as she considered her mother's words. After what seemed to Zoe to be an eternity of silence, she smiled. "So, are you and Uncle Jim gonna make a baby?"

Zoe sputtered uncharacteristically for a moment. "Why would you think that?" she asked when she could articulate words again.

Anya shrugged. "Saw you kissing him."

Zoe cleared her throat. "When was this?"

"Yesterday, in the corridor outside the galley."

"Well, yes, we were kissing, but as I said, it's more than just kissing that makes a baby," Zoe said as calmly as she could. "Your Uncle Jim and I are still just….getting acquainted, so to speak."

"So, you don't love him?" Anya asked, a trace of wistfulness in her voice.

Zoe paused, considering her words carefully. "I care for him a great deal," she said finally. "But I haven't really known him long enough to be in love with him."

"So, you don't believe in love at first sight?" Anya asked. "You know, like in the fairy stories?"

Zoe's head was beginning to hurt. "Not really," she answered. "When you love someone for real, it's because you know them well, and you like what you know about them."

"Miss Kaylee believes in love at first sight," Anya said dreamily. "She said she knew the minute she saw Dr. Simon that he was the one."

"In case you haven't noticed, Miss Kaylee and I are not exactly similar," Zoe said dryly. Hearing a muffled snort from somewhere in the cargo bay, she looked quickly down at the cattle, but saw no one.

Anya sighed. "So, who will I be like, then?" she asked. "You, or Miss Kaylee?"

"I conjure we'll have to wait and see," Zoe said, still looking at the cattle suspiciously. "But I expect you'll be just right, no matter how it happens."

Anya impulsively leaned over to hug her mother. "You really think so?"

"I do," Zoe said, squeezing her daughter with pride and pleasure. "You've a good head on your shoulders, and I don't see as that's like to change anytime soon."

Anya smiled, wiggling happily out of Zoe's grip. "Gotta go. I told Miss River I'd take Hannah for a little while this afternoon, so she can rest a bit."

Zoe watched her daughter head toward the bridge, and turned back to the cattle. "That you in there, sir?" she asked. Mal stepped out of his hiding place in the shadows sheepishly. "Ain't exactly right to be eavesdropping on a mother/daughter talk," she added.

Mal grinned. "Just thought I might pick up on some pointers. You know, about the baby-makin' and all."

Zoe raised one eloquent eyebrow. "Still not got the hang of it, even with Adam and Hannah to your credit?"

Mal chose not to answer. Instead he said, "And then there was the little matter of finding out about the kissing going on in the corridor."

Zoe looked at him blandly. "No problem with kissing in the corridor on this boat, best as I can tell, considerin' what I walked in on the other day on the bridge when you and River were…"

"All right," Mal interrupted her quickly, his ears turning bright red at the memory. "Point taken."

Zoe smiled smugly. "Thought you'd see it my way, sir," she said, rising gracefully to head to her bunk.

Mal watched his first mate and friend walk away, wondering, as always, how she managed to handle everything the 'verse threw her way with such steady resolve. Eternally grateful that Anya had asked Zoe the dreaded question and not him, or God forbid, Jayne, he turned back to the cattle with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

**Black Widow**

**Part II—Stowaway**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: En route to deliver the cattle, Mal finds that he has to make another delivery as well.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal stepped stealthily into the passenger dorm to check on River. He remembered quite well how tiring nursing Adam had been for her, and knew that nursing Hannah was proving to be much the same. Though he had no reason to suspect that this trip would be anything but routine, he wanted to ensure that River was in fine form and spent large amounts of time trying to persuade her to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by a ship full of potential babysitters who could spell her from the constant requirements of caring for an infant.

He was pleased to find her curled into a ball on their bed, her hair streaming out behind her on the pillow. Tempted to crawl in beside her, he fought the impulse, knowing that if he woke her, she would find it difficult to go back to sleep. Easing carefully out of the room, he made his way to the bridge to check the course settings that she had plotted earlier. As always, he found her calculations correct and he sat in the pilot's chair for a few minutes, looking out into the Black.

Unaccountably restless, he soon moved on, wandering aimlessly through the corridors of Serenity. Though he couldn't quite place why, he felt that there was something wrong, something out of place on his boat. And he set out to find out what that something could be.

Peering into the engine room, he saw Kaylee's legs jutting out from under Serenity's beating heart. "Everything still shiny in here, li'l Kaylee?" he asked.

Her voice floated out from under the engine. "Yep. Just tinkerin' a bit, whilst I can. Daniel's down for his nap."

Mal looked around to see the little boy curled up on a blanket in the corner of the room. "You sure it's safe to leave him free to roam about?" he asked skeptically.

"Long's I'm right here," Kaylee said, sliding out to look at him. "He's fed and dry, so I 'spect I got a good little while 'fore he wakes up. The engine sounds soothe him to sleep." She smiled sunnily.

"Figures that he'd like the sound, seein' as how you were always down here when you were pregnant with him," Mal said, smiling in return.

Kaylee rolled her eyes. "Ain't just Daniel who likes it. When Hannah gets too fussy, River brings her down here too. Somethin' about the vibration, or the hum, or…" She paused for a moment. "Well, whatever it is, the babies like it. And I like it too."

"Me too," Mal said, thinking that there were few things in the 'verse he loved hearing as much as Serenity humming in flight. Having been temporarily sidetracked from his original purpose, he regained his train of thought. "You notice anything strange? Anything not quite right about our girl?"

Kaylee was startled by the question, instantly flashing back to Early appearing seemingly out of nowhere to disturb their home. "No," she said anxiously. "Why do you ask?"

Mal shook his head. "No reason," he said, giving her a reassuring pat on the arm. "Just wondering. I'm sure it's nothing."

Kaylee glanced worriedly at Daniel. "I'll keep an extra sharp eye out, though."

"You do that," Mal said, stepping back out into the corridor and leaving Kaylee staring behind him.

He moved on, checking the common area, the infirmary, and the cargo bay once again. But he could see nothing glaringly out of place and, tiring of his suspicions, he headed back up to the bridge. Halfway there, he ran into River. "Thought you were sleeping, bao bei," he said.

"Woke up," River answered, frowning slightly. "Too many people."

Mal's heart rate increased slightly. "Same number as always," he said carefully.

River shook her head. "One more," she answered with an air of assurance.

The hair on the back of Mal's neck stood up. "You mean to say we got a stowaway?"

River nodded slowly, her brow knitted in concentration. "Was distracted earlier by the course adjustments and the baby. Couldn't hear him until I got some rest."

"Him?" Mal asked. "You know where this fella is hiding?"

"Storage room next to the galley," River said after a moment. "Wanted to be close to the food."

Before she finished the sentence, Mal was striding rapidly toward the galley, pausing only long enough to get his gun. River trailed behind him. "Means no harm," she said softly. "Just needed to get away from Persephone quickly."

"Shoulda' paid the cost of the fare then," Mal murmured darkly, annoyed that anyone would walk onto his vessel uninvited and just bum a ride. Checking River's position behind him, he swung the door of the storage area open quickly, flipping on the light and blinding his hapless passenger momentarily.

Badger blinked rapidly several times, while Mal muttered a string of Mandarin curses directed at Badger and all his ancestors. Making out the gun aimed squarely at his head, Badger held up his hands in surrender. "Easy now, Capt'n Reynolds," he said, standing up slowly. "No need to be gettin' your knickers in a twist."

Mal pulled him roughly out of the storage room and into the galley. "I'll decide how twisted my knickers need to be," he snapped. "What the diyu do you think you're doin' on my boat?"

Badger had the grace to look sheepish for just a moment. "Needed a ride. Figured you were the gent to get me where I need to go. For old time's sake and all."

"We don't have any old times, least not the kind I'm apt to look at fondly," Mal replied flatly.

Badger feigned a look of innocence. "Can't imagine what you're referring to," he said, straightening out the lapels of his coat. "Seems to me we did some good business together, until that unfortunate little incident where we were kidnapped." He gave Mal a sorrowful stare. "And now you've gone and made business arrangements with one of my competitors." He shook his head at the thought. "Easy doesn't have the contacts I do," he added. "And the little hundan will be out of business soon as I get back to Persephone."

Mal placed his gun on the table and crossed his arms over his chest. "If you have such pressing business to attend to on Persephone, why are you hiding in a supply room on Serenity?"

"Thought you might not be taking on passengers, willingly anyway. Doesn't seem to work out for you. No offense to the lady, o' course." He smiled at River, executing a stunted bow.

"You're right. I would not have taken on passengers. And if I was of a mind to, you wouldn't make the short list of prospects, if you take my meaning," Mal replied. After a pause, he added, "And why couldn't you use one of your own transports?"

"Don't have any transports now." Badger straightened his shoulders. "The way I see it, the reason I'm in need of a ride in the first place is 'cause of you," he asserted. "That little run-in with Niska we had cost me some of my best men."

The pulse in Mal's temple began to beat visibly. "Way I recollect it, what you call 'that little run-in with Niska' was completely your fault."

Badger waved his hands dismissively. "And then, when you up and killed 'im, you unleashed the she-hound from 'ell itself."

Mal couldn't contain a slight smile. "I'd say you were the one as did the unleashing. I got the distinct impression the reason Mrs. Niska was upset had something to do with you trying to steal her husband's business out from under her."

Badger huffed. "Well, 'ow was a gent to know that she intended to continue with things? Seems an unseemly way for a woman to be'ave, if you ask me."

"Which I didn't," Mal retorted. "And I'm guessin' Mrs. Niska is none too interested in your opinion either. Could be why she asked me to hand you over, if I ever ran into you again."

Badger's eyes widened for a brief moment. "You met 'er?"

Mal nodded. "I did, and I'll have to say that she made quite an impression on me. Offered me a fair bit of coin for your sorry hide."

Badger swallowed visibly. "You wouldn't be thinkin' on collectin' that coin and turning in an old chum like myself, would you?"

Mal rubbed his jaw, pausing dramatically. "Well, I had intended to stay out of your little affairs, but bein' as how you just walked onto my boat bold as brass…."

Badger took and involuntary step backward, twisting his bowler hat in his hands nervously. "How much?" he asked, his throat terribly dry.

"How much what?" Mal asked, watching Badger squirm.

Badger cleared his throat. "How much coin would you want to take me to Newhall?"

Mal eyed him speculatively. "Depends. Why do you want to go to Newhall?"

Badger licked his lips nervously. "I'd rather not say, if it's all the same to you. Let's just say I know some people there as might 'elp out a gent when 'e's down."

Mal nodded. "These people like to cause any harm to me or mine?"

Badger shook his head. "None. I swear it on my own mother's grave." He shuffled his feet uneasily. "Wouldn't even be askin' but that the she-devil has been 'oundin' my operations from the moment she 'eard of me. All my transports 'ave met with suspicious accidents, my people are startin' to go missin', and I 'aven't slept a decent night in weeks. An upstandin' man such as me can't live like this." He looked at Mal beseechingly. "So, how much?"

Mal drew in a deep breath. "Bein' as how we'll be passin' close by Newhall anyway, three hundred credits outta do it. That is, if you're willin' to work the rest off in trade."

Badger looked at him warily. "Three 'undred I can do. What kind of work?"

"Cows need lookin' to," Mal said, smiling widely.

Badger stiffened, looking at Mal in disbelief. "You expect me to handle cattle?"

Mal shrugged. "It's entirely up to you, Badger. But everybody on this boat's got a job to do, and if it don't get done, the airlock's waiting. Your choice."

"You wouldn't blow me out the airlock. Honor among thieves and such," Badger said.

"Probably not," Mal replied easily. "But I might just find that business card Mrs. Niska gave me." He made a show of patting his pockets.

"All right," Badger answered quickly. "I'll do it. Just get me to Newhall."

Mal held out his hand. "I'll be taking that three hundred now."

Badger huffed irritably, but pulled a small roll of bills out of his pocket. Carefully peeling off the right amount, he handed it reluctantly to Mal. "Now as I'm a payin' customer, can I have a proper room?"

"I suppose so," Mal replied. "So long as you remember that I got no problem turnin' you over if you cause the least bit of trouble whilst you're here. Dong ma?"

Badger glanced at River. "You should also remember that I can kill you with my brain," River said softly, looking at him with a slight smile.

"Liked you better the first time we met," Badger muttered under his breath. "Reynolds 'as been a bad influence on you."

"So they say," River said happily, leading the way to the passenger dorms with Mal and an unhappy Badger trailing behind.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Was hoping we might get to move back into our own bunk," River said sometime later, as she and Mal prepared for bed.

Mal nodded sympathetically. "I know the passenger dorms aren't the best place to be right now, what with the cattle so close by and all, but I don't trust that little weasel for a minute, and I'll sleep sounder knowin' we're down here with 'im."

River sighed as she adjusted the blanket over Hannah. Climbing into bed, she replied, "I know, ai ren. But I wasn't exactly counting on the stench."

Mal chuckled. "Got Simon and Kaylee back to their bunk soon enough, didn't it? I wouldn't have believed Simon could wrestle that crib down the ladder so well if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes."

River yawned widely. "He's even more bothered by the smell than I am."

"Well, it's just to be a short run anyway," Mal said, slipping into bed beside his wife. "But, if you want me to, I'll move you and Hannah back into our bunk, and bed down here by myself until Newhall."

River nuzzled into his warmth. "Would be more bothered by your absence than by the cows," she said softly, the last of her words slurring as she slipped into sleep.

"Good to know," Mal whispered, brushing his lips lightly across her brow before closing his own eyes for the sleep cycle.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

**Black Widow**

**Part III—Newhall**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Inara asks for a favor, and Mal delivers Badger to his destination.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, if it would be all right, I'd like to leave for the Training House after we drop Badger off," Inara said, looking hopefully at Mal. "We'll be passing close enough by Sihnon that I could take the shuttle and be there within a couple of days."

Mal gazed steadily at the Companion. "You sure you want to do this, Inara? Jayne ain't exactly in a line of work that will keep you up in the style you're used to. Not to mention the fact that he's liable to get corpsified a mite earlier than might be considered usual for a man of his age in good health."

Inara sighed. "I think it's fairly obvious that I can expect my life to change somewhat…dramatically. But it's possible I'll find something that I can do to supplement Jayne's earnings. I've been toying with a few possibilities already. I just need some time to work things out. And as for the likelihood of Jayne meeting with an early death, I suppose that's true for anyone who travels with Serenity."

"Hey, now, no call to be all crochety and paranoid," Mal said, pretending to be affronted at the assertion. "None of us have died in awhile now."

Inara raised one elegant eyebrow. "True enough," she conceded. "No doubt because of your superior skills as Captain."

Mal snorted. "No need to be usin' the wiles on me, woman. I got no problem with you takin' the shuttle to get your business done. How long you think you'll be?"

Inara's brow knitted in thought. "I'm really not sure. It could be fairly quick, or the process may take quite awhile."

"I conjure you'll be wantin' Jayne to go with you?"

"No," Inara said quickly. "That would be very…awkward with the Guild. Besides, since I have no idea how long I'll be, I would assume you'll be needing Jayne here to help handle jobs in my absence."

Mal frowned. "Sounds like you think it might be awhile."

"It could be," Inara answered honestly.

"You told Jayne that you're plannin' to be gone for that long?"

Inara sighed. "This morning," she affirmed.

Mal pulled up the star charts for the course between Newhall and Sihnon. "Not sure I like the idea of sendin' you alone through this little section," he said, pointing at the most direct route between the two.

Inara peered over his shoulder. "But I'll need to go that way unless you divert Serenity from its present course. The shuttle doesn't have the range to go the long way around."

Mal thought for a moment. "Can't get too far off course and still get to Deadwood for the cattle delivery on time. Couple days off course and we'd run outta feed and water for 'em."

Inara bit her lip thoughtfully. "What if you sent someone with me? Maybe Zoe, or Jim? Then, they could return the shuttle for your use while I'm away as well. I'll be staying in the Training House anyway."

"Need Jim to help with the cattle 'til we can get 'em to Deadwood," Mal replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "But I expect Zoe'd be just as glad to get out of that little chore and go with you."

"Good," Inara said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Then it's settled."

"If Zoe agrees," Mal amended.

"Of course," Inara said, confident it wouldn't be a problem.

XXXXXXXXXX

Badger looked disgustedly at the floor of the cargo bay, stepping carefully to avoid the droppings of the cattle. "'ow's a man to handle these beasts?" he whined. "All they do is eat and …." He waved his hands at the floor helplessly.

Jayne grinned. "Need boots, 'stead of those fancy shoes," he said, shoveling hay into the bins for the cattle. "And you may as well quit whingin' and get busy with muckin' out the place. Everything you scoop up goes in that large container over there."

Badger grimaced. "And why is it that I'm the one doing this? I could do the feeding."

Jayne stopped what he was doing, and walked over to Badger, standing close enough to tower over the smaller man. "You wanna have to do it all?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. " 'Cause I got no problem leavin' ya' to it. Mal'll be down here in awhile to check on 'em, and if you want to explain why the cows ain't fed, watered, and cleaned up, I'll be glad to go on about my other pressin' business. Dong ma?"

Badger gulped, and shrank back a little. "Just askin'," he said. "No need to get so prickly." He picked up the shovel again, hoping that Jayne did not notice the slight tremor in his hand. Regaining his cocky attitude, he said, "You need to remember one thing, mate. One day soon enough, your Captain is goin' to be dealing with me again in business, and when that time comes, I'll not be forgetting this whole thing."

Jayne snorted. "You talk awful big for a man with a contract on his head."

Badger whirled around. "What do you know about a contract?"

Jayne shrugged. "Same as most folks, I reckon. Know that Niska's widow has it out for you. And the way Mal describes her, my money's on her." Grinning, he went back to feeding the cattle, while Badger shoveled the manure into a large container unit.

"Might be a bet you'll lose," Badger said under his breath.

"Jayne," Mal's voice floated out over the cargo bay. "Quit rampin' him up, and come up here for a minute. I need a hand."

Giving Badger one last grin, Jayne followed Mal out of the bay.

XXXXXXXXXX

Simon gently pulled up Hannah's sleeve. Quickly drawing the blood sample he required, he soothed the baby. "It's all right, little one," he said, cooing into her ear. "Uncle Simon's all finished now."

River took the red-faced infant out of his arms. "I know how you feel, baby mine," she whispered in Hannah's ear. "He's always poking me with needles too."

"Hey now, that's no fair," Simon said, his brow wrinkled in a slight frown. "I'll have you know I never poke anyone with needles when it's unnecessary." He turned to begin the series of blood tests on his niece. "You know as well as I do that this is all standard well-baby care."

Hannah looked at her uncle with wide brown eyes so much like her mother's that it took Simon's breath away. "She does look like me, doesn't she?" River said, easily reading Simon's thoughts.

"So much it's scary," Simon agreed. "Makes me feel strange…like I'm seeing you as an infant all over again." He paused for a moment. "Can you tell if she's….a Reader?"

River shook her head. "Don't know yet," she said. "But so far, I haven't found any evidence to suggest she is."

"By this time with Adam, you at least had your suspicions, right?" Simon asked.

"Yes," River said. "Nothing solid, but there were signs."

"So, maybe she won't be," Simon said, a hint of relief in his voice.

"Would it be so terrible if she were?" River asked, looking at her brother with huge, sad eyes.

Simon sighed. "Of course not," he answered. "It's just that if she was a Reader, it would be potentially dangerous for her, just as it proved to be for you."

"But she has a different set of parents," River said logically. "And Mal would never let anyone take her away from us, any more than he would let them take Adam."

"I'm sure you're right," Simon said. "But still, I have to admit I'll rest easier when we know for sure that she's not a Reader."

"What about Daniel?" River asked, bouncing Hannah slightly as the baby began to squirm in her arms.

"What about him?" Simon asked.

"He has potential to be a Reader as well," River replied.

"You don't….I mean, you haven't detected anything like that in him, have you?" Simon asked, his heart beginning to beat uncomfortably with the thought.

"No," River assured him. "I haven't." Resting her hand lightly on Simon's tense shoulders, she added, "I'm sure it's all going to be just fine, Simon. Readers or not."

Simon sighed, looking at the sister for whom he'd do anything imaginable. "I hope you're right, mei mei."

"Of course I am. Am I ever wrong?" she asked, smiling widely.

"You are still such a brat," Simon said, the tension he'd felt a moment before mitigated by the love he had for his sister.

XXXXXXXXXX

"How long will you be gone?" Jim asked, watching Zoe pack a small bag for her trip with Inara.

"No more than a day or two," Zoe replied. "Just long enough to drop her off and come right back. Why?"

Jim shifted uncomfortably. "I'm a little uneasy about you going alone."

Zoe snorted. "Don't anticipate a problem."

"No one around here ever does," Jim sighed. "But the problems seem to come fairly regularly just the same."

Zoe leaned over and gave him a chaste peck on the cheek. "I'll be careful," she said. "And I won't be that far away if something does happen. Serenity could get to me quick enough." Zipping up her bag, she added, "Look after Anya for me, would you?"

Jim nodded. "Of course," he said a little stiffly.

Zoe sat down beside him. "You know, Anya saw us in the corridor the other day."

Jim looked startled. "What did she say?"

"Asked if we were plannin' to make babies," Zoe replied blandly.

Jim blushed a deep red. "And what did you say?"

"I told her that there were no babies in production."

Jim swallowed nervously and sat quietly for a moment. Finally, he said, "Think there ever might be?"

Zoe looked at him quizzically. "Don't you think you're putting the cart before the horse a little bit?"

Jim took her hand and held it, examining it as if he'd never seen it before. "You're an exasperating woman, you know that?"

"So I've been told," Zoe said.

"Are you ever intending to tell me how you feel about us?" Jim asked.

"Don't recall as you've asked," Zoe answered evenly.

Jim dropped her hand. "I'm not playing, Zoe," he said seriously. "This thing we've got between us…is it going anywhere other than a few kisses in the corridor, or is that just wishful thinking on my part?"

Zoe met his eyes steadily, her own eyes shining warmly. "Can't rightly tell you where it's going to end up, but I'd say it's definitely going somewhere. That enough of an answer for now?"

Jim smiled slightly. "For now," he conceded. "Gives a man hope, at least." He returned her steady gaze. "But I have to tell you, it won't always be enough."

"I know," Zoe answered quietly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Having cleaned up as best he could, Badger smoothed the lapels of his suit jacket down and looked at himself in the mirror. Satisifed that he looked decent enough to walk into Newhall's settlement with his head held high, he turned to Mal, who was leaning in the doorway of his room. Taking a deep breath, he held out his hand. "Guess I need to be thanking you for the ride," he said.

"Next time you want a ride with me, tell me up front. I don't take kindly to stowaways as a general rule," Mal replied.

Badger nodded. "Fair enough." Picking up his small bag of belongings, he added, "'Course, next time you see me, I'll be back on Persephone running my business like it should be. Won't be needing a transport then."

"You seem awfully certain of that, for a man on the run," Mal observed calmly, walking Badger toward the ramp.

"I told you, Captain Reynolds, I've got contacts," Badger replied, squinting as Mal lowered the ramp and Newhall's bright sunlight flooded the bay. "Gent such as me never stays down long." Looking back at the cattle with disdain, he added, "And I'll guarantee that you'll never see me anywhere closer to a gorram cow than a steak on my plate ever again."

Mal smiled. "Never say never, Badger. A man can't be too sure of what the 'verse holds for him, you know."

Badger fixed Mal with a sneer. "Trust me, Captain, I'm sure."

So saying, he gripped his small bag tightly in his hand and set out into the dust of Newhall, head held defiantly high and swagger back in place.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

**Black Widow**

**Part IV—Saying Goodbye**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: The shuttle leaves Serenity, and Mal and Adam have a talk about cows.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jayne stood in Inara's shuttle, his shoulders stiff and a scowl on his face. "Still think I should be the one goin' with you," he said flatly.

Inara looked up from plotting the shuttle's course with the barest hint of exasperation. "Zoe is perfectly capable of looking after things. For that matter, so am I. I had intended to go alone until Mal insisted otherwise."

"Just don't like the idea of you bein' gone for so long," Jayne growled.

"We really don't know how long it will be," Inara said, making her tone smooth and even. "It could be that my affairs can be wrapped up quickly. And I'm certain that I'll be able to handle things more quickly if you're not there to distract me." She wrapped her arms around Jayne's midsection, fixing him with the best of her patented smiles until she felt the tension ease in the muscles of his back. Slipping out of his embrace, she continued, "Besides, I'm sure that Mal will get into something that will require your particular expertise while I'm gone. And since Zoe will be with me, someone has to look after the man."

"You ain't distractin' me," Jayne said, though he smiled as he said it. "I'm still nowhere close to happy about this."

"I know, love," Inara said. "But once this matter is handled, we'll have as much time as you want to be together. And then you can growl at me and complain to your heart's content."

"I'm holdin' you to that," Jayne said, pulling her back into his arms for a last kiss.

XXXXXXXXXX

Anya looked at Zoe unhappily. "Wish you didn't have to go with Miss Inara."

"Won't be gone all that long, little one," Zoe replied. "Just gonna drop her off, and come right back. You'll hardly have time to miss me."

"Still don't like it," Anya said decisively. "Wish I was going with you."

"It would be boring, I expect," Zoe said. "You wouldn't have Adam to play with, or Daniel and Hannah to look after. We'd just be flyin' along looking out at nothing for a couple of days."

"I know," Anya sighed. "But I don't like it when we split up. Something always goes wrong."

Zoe laid a comforting arm around her daughter. "I'll be careful, Anya. And as for you, well, the Captain and your Uncle Jim are here to be sure nothing happens to you. So, everything's going to be all right. Dong ma?"

Anya nodded, indicating a confidence she did not feel.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaylee slipped out from under the console in Inara's shuttle, wiping her hands on her coveralls. "That should do it," she said, smiling up at Mal. "I've checked and re-checked everything, and made sure the tracking beacon is working all right. If they run into any trouble, they can signal us direct."

"Good," Mal said, giving her a hand up. "I ain't overfond of the route they're gonna be takin'. There's been a lot of chatter on the Cortex about piracy and such in this sector."

Kaylee's smile dimmed a little. "Don't you reckon Inara could wait until Serenity could get her to Sihnon?"

"She wasn't of a mind to wait," Mal said seriously. "And really, there was no tellin' when we'd be this close again." He smiled wryly. "'Sides, it could be that pirates would be more interested in Serenity than in a lone shuttle. Ain't exactly like we got the means to blow 'em out of the Black anymore than the shuttle does."

"But there's more of us to fight 'em off, if we were together," Kaylee pointed out.

"True," Mal acknowledged. "But I'd put my coin on Zoe against pirates any day, wouldn't you?"

"S'pose so," Kaylee said, though her tone lacked conviction. "Guess I'm just bein' silly."

"No," Mal said, giving her a quick hug. "Just bein' Kaylee." And though he didn't admit it, Mal felt a vague sense of unease as well.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jim stood over River's shoulder, watching the shuttle detach and head toward Sihnon. "How long 'til they get there with the course you gave Inara?" he asked quietly.

"No more than a day and a half, if everything goes well," River replied, making a course adjustment to take Serenity toward Deadwood. "So, conceivably, Zoe will be able to rendezvous with us in approximately three days, give or take a few hours. Assuming, that is, that we deliver the cattle and get back here without any problem."

Jim grimaced. "Why did you have to add that? Isn't there always a problem?"

River smiled up at him encouragingly. "Not always. I can name at least four jobs we've had where everything went smoothly."

Jim sighed, watching the shuttle get smaller and smaller in the window. "Why does that not encourage me?"

"Because you love her," River said softly.

Jim looked at her, startled. "Who?" he said, though he knew that was a transparent defense.

River rolled her eyes. "Who do you think?" she answered. Seeing his discomfiture, she added, "It's all right, you know. Mal has decided not to throw you out the airlock when you and Zoe decide to be together."

"Well, that's a good thing to know," Jim said. "Though I'm not sure that Zoe won't do it herself if I push too hard."

"Then don't," River said simply.

Jim looked at her intently. "You tell me, since you're the Reader. Are we gonna….get together or not?"

"Doesn't work that way," River answered. "Infinite possibilities, infinite variables." When Jim's face fell, she continued, "But if I were to guess, I would say that there is a very high probability that you will be successful in your endeavors."

"Well, at least that's something," Jim said, grinning.

"Yes, it is," River said, smiling as she turned her attention back to the console.

Jim put his hand briefly on her shoulder. "Thanks," he said softly.

"No problem," River answered.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal held Adam up to get a better look at the cow in front of him. Adam reached out a tentative hand to touch the huge animal. "Softer than I thought," he said, barely breathing in his excitement.

Mal nodded, remembering the first time he felt the same sensation. Setting Adam down on his sturdy little legs, he said, "Want to get a little hay for this one? She looks a mite hungry to me."

Adam nodded eagerly, taking his father's hand happily. "Did your cows look like this?" he asked.

"Pretty much," Mal said. "Though these cows are a different breed than the ones on our ranch."

"Will we ever have a ranch, Daddy?"

Mal looked at his son with surprise. "Would you like to live dirtside on a ranch?"

Adam's brow wrinkled as he considered his answer. "Couldn't we just have a ranch part of the time? You know, like for a vacation?"

Mal chuckled. "Don't think so, little fella. Livin' on a ranch is a full-time job. Who would look after the livestock if we were out in the Black part of the time?"

Adam thought about it for a few minutes. "So, if we had a ranch, we couldn't live on Serenity too?"

"Don't see how," Mal replied. "There's always work to do on a ranch, and it don't wait for a body's convenience either."

"Sounds hard," Adam observed.

"It is," Mal said honestly. "But it is a good kind of life too. Nothing wrong with working hard and reaping the benefits of it."

Adam put an armload of hay in front of the huge creature. Running his hand along the cow's side as the animal stood placidly chewing, he asked, "You ever miss living on a ranch?"

"Sometimes," Mal answered.

Adam looked at his father carefully. "I think I would miss Serenity, if we had a ranch," he said seriously.

"I think I would too," Mal answered. Adam stood looking at the cattle, while Mal looked at his son. "You know," he said after a few minutes. "There are ranches where folk like us can go and stay for a little while. Kinda get the feel of ranch life, and then go on about their business."

Adam's eyes shone with sudden excitement. "Do you know where they are?"

"S'pect I could find one, easy enough," Mal answered, smiling at his son's enthusiasm.

"So, we could maybe go there sometime?"

"Don't see why not," Mal said.

Adam hugged his leg tightly. "Could we take Anya, and Daniel too?"

"Could take everybody, if they want to come," Mal said, swinging his son up into his arms. "Best we talk to Mama first though, don't you think?"

Adam nodded eagerly. "She'll say yes. She likes cows."

"That a fact?" Mal asked, laughing. "She tell you that?"

"Didn't have to," Adam said. "I just know."

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe sat calmly watching the view as Inara piloted the shuttle toward Sihnon. "So, you're really gonna retire?" she asked.

"I suppose so," Inara said. "Doesn't seem that there's much of an alternative at this point. I don't think it would be fair to put Jayne through the hoops required to be my official partner if I remain a Companion."

"You love him enough to give up everything you've worked for?" Zoe asked.

Inara looked at her friend, surprised that Zoe would ask such a personal question. "Surprisingly, yes," she answered honestly. "Wouldn't you have done something like that for Wash?"

"Yes," Zoe said. "Though thankfully, he never asked me to."

"Jayne didn't ask me to retire either," Inara said quickly. "He was willing to do whatever I asked."

"Makes it easier to do what you need to do, I'll wager," Zoe said wisely.

"Yes, it does," Inara said softly. "Though, quite truthfully, I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. I've never wanted to be anything other than a Companion. Until now."

Zoe looked at her curiously. "And what do you want to be now?"

Inara's smile trembled a little around the edges. "I'm not sure. Ask me in a month."

"I'll do that," Zoe said blandly.

XXXXXXXXXX

"We found them," Woodward reported succinctly to his employer. "Looks like they're still on course for Deadwood."

"So they haven't delivered Harrow's cattle yet then," the woman said, sitting forward in her chair and looking intently at the man on the screen.

"No, don't think so," Woodward said.

"That means Badger is somewhere on the ship," she said.

"Not necessarily," Woodward said carefully. "'Bout time we caught up with 'em, someone left in one of their shuttles. Looked to be headed toward Sihnon, if I read the course right."

The older woman frowned. "Why would Badger want to go to Sihnon?"

"I'm sure I don't know, ma'am," Woodward said. "Perhaps he thought it would be easier to blend in on a heavily populated planet. So, what shall we do? Follow Serenity, or the shuttle?"

Not a woman who liked complications, his employer huffed with irritation. "Follow Serenity. I have people in Sihnon, should we need them. Be discreet about it. I see no reason to tangle with Reynolds if we can retrieve Badger without him. And let me know as soon as you have him."

"Yes ma'am," Woodward said.

She cut the transmission and sat back heavily in her chair. Steepling her fingers under her chin, she thought for a moment. Making her decision, she entered a new address on the Cortex. When the image coalesced sufficiently, she said, "Let me speak to your boss. Tell him it's Theodora Niska."

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	5. Chapter 5

**Black Widow**

**Part V—House Madrassa**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Zoe does some soul-searching, and Mal delivers the cattle to Deadwood.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe sank blissfully into the large tub in the room that Inara had secured for her use at the Training House. The two had made excellent time on their journey, and by Zoe's best estimate, she had plenty of time to rendezvous with Serenity even if she accepted the offer to spend the night in the Training House before starting back home. It was a little known fact that Zoe was distinctly fond of hot baths in large tubs and luxuriously soft beds on which to sleep afterward. So, she had taken Inara up on the generous offer.

Drizzling scented oil slowly into the steaming water, she leaned her head back against the edge of the tub and took a deep breath. Soothed by the pleasing scent and the warmth of the water, her mind began to wander. She thought of how much Wash would have enjoyed such a setting, had he been able to get past the sight of so many Companions in one place for long enough. Thoughts of Wash led her to other less soothing thoughts. She knew, reasonably speaking, that if it had ever occurred to Wash that he might precede her in death, he would have wanted her to move on and find someone else with whom to share her life. But knowing that did nothing to assuage the feeling of guilt she had every time she considered moving forward with Jim.

He was a patient enough man, so far as she could tell, but she knew that he was beginning to doubt that they had any type of future together. And she was not so naïve as to think that he would be willing to wait indefinitely for something beyond a kiss or two in Serenity's corridors. Sinking further into the warmth of the water, she closed her eyes and tried to come to some conclusion about what to do. Things with Wash had been simple. She had loved him absolutely and, despite Mal's strong objections, she had known with certainty that she would marry him and spend a lifetime with him, if given the opportunity.

Her feelings for Jim were not quite so clear. In fairness, she knew it was most probably because of the grief she still felt for Wash, and not because of any deficiency on Jim's part. In point of fact, she had to admit to herself that she was more than simply attracted to the man. She had a sharp suspicion that she was falling in love with him. But, that feeling was tempered with sadness and, admittedly, a little anger. Having once chosen the man with whom to share her life, she was angry to have to start back at the beginning again, angry to be in the limbo of the early part of a relationship, when everything was nebulous and fragile as fairy glass.

Her mind swirling with the dilemma she was facing, she sat in the tub until the cooling water forced her to move. Toweling off distractedly, she shook herself in irritation. By nature, Zoe had no patience for indecisiveness and so as she stood at the mirror combing out her long tresses, she came to a conclusion. As soon as she got back to Serenity, she thought, she would sit down with Jim and tell him exactly how she felt, though soul-baring was not her strong suit.

Once decided, she instantly felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Climbing into the opulent bed, she sighed with satisfaction, knowing that for the first time in a long while, she would be sleeping peacefully tonight.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara tossed and turned in her own bed, feeling oddly like an imposter in what used to be her suite of rooms. Her initial interview with the House Mistress had gone poorly, and she could instinctively feel a storm gathering around her with the Guild. She had not been exactly forthcoming with Jayne, or anyone else for that matter, about how difficult this trip would be for her, but Inara was not a fool. She knew that even though she had not been in residence at House Madrassa for some time, the House benefited from her contract in ways both obvious and subtle.

The House Priestess, for all her stubbornness, was a wily woman, and Inara knew that she was not to be underestimated. Though technically Inara would plead her case before a tribunal, there was no denying that the House Mistress held the real power in her slender hands. And she had made no pretense of being particularly pleasant when Inara had arrived.

Unable to lie still, Inara got up and pulled on her robe. Slipping quietly down the cool corridors of the Training House, she listened for the sound of anyone who might still be up and willing to share a cup of tea. Hearing nothing, she padded softly to the small garden situated at the east entrance of the House. It had always been a particularly inviting spot and she sat on the low bench under a weeping willow tree, listening to the pleasant sound of water trickling from the small fountain and the occasional burst of birdsong from the surrounding trees. Centering her thoughts, she drew strength from the peaceful surroundings, knowing well that she would need every bit of resolve she had for the days ahead.

She methodically catalogued the things in her life of which she was sure. Foremost among them was her love for Jayne, which she knew he most certainly reciprocated. Then, she knew with absolute clarity that Mal would be there for her, should she need anything that Jayne could not provide alone. For that matter, all of the crew would rally around her if she indicated any need, she thought. The certainty of it warmed her heart and straightened her spine. Regardless of how the tribunal ruled, she realized that she had what she needed on an old Firefly filled with a strangely mismatched family of people who would stand behind her no matter what the 'verse allowed. Taking a deep cleansing breath, she walked slowly back to her suite, feeling much more prepared to face the day ahead.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, you heard from Inara this morning?" Jim asked, as he and Jayne got the animals ready for delivery.

"Yep," Jayne said. "Said they got there all right and that the Head Mistress is just as sour as she always was."

"So, did she mention whether Zoe was on her way back?" Jim asked, hating the slight pleading sound in his voice.

Jayne glanced over at him. "You've got it bad for her, don'tcha'?"

Jim frowned. "Can't a man be concerned about his fellow crewmember without all this abuse?"

Jayne grinned. "Could, I imagine, if it weren't so gorram plain for everybody to see you're sappy about her. Downright shameful how you follow her around like a lovesick puppy."

"And I suppose it means nothing to you that it might be weeks or months before you see Inara again?" Jim asked, cocking his eyebrow.

Jayne scowled. "That's different."

"Yeah?" Jim asked. "Perhaps you'd like to explain exactly how that's different."

"Best be watchin' yourself," Jayne growled. "Zoe ain't here to protect you from me now."

Jim glared at the mercenary. "Don't think that will be a problem," he answered softly.

Jayne raised his eyebrows. "You want a go at me?"

Mal stepped into the cargo bay between the two bristling men. "Ain't got time for this go se. We're only about ten minutes out of Deadwood now. Got work to do. Fight on your own time."

Exchanging one last glare, the two men turned back to their tasks as Mal looked on, musing that it was a marvel how quickly their worry for the women had turned to aggression.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Your man is absolutely sure?" Theodora Niska asked, her face betraying her displeasure.

"He watched the shuttle all night," the man confirmed. "Nobody came out except the two women, one of them the Companion and the other, the tall, dark-skinned woman."

Theodora nodded. "Miss Serra and Zoe Washburne," she muttered. Clearing her throat, she addressed the man on the screen. "Stay with the shuttle, just in case. The little hundan has been cagey. He could still be there."

The man nodded. "We'll stay on top of it. If he's in there, we'll get him."

"See that you do," Theodora said, toying with the string of pearls at her throat. I tire of the chase, and the man that delivers him to me will be well rewarded."

"Yes ma'am," the man said eagerly, knowing full well exactly what the widow Niska was capable of if he should fail.

Theodora cut the transmission and sat back in her chair. The thin man approached her desk carefully. "I received word from Woodward while you were talking. He said that Serenity has set down on Deadwood. What do you want him to do?"

Theodora tapped her lips with her index finger. "Tell him to land a decent distance away and wait until Reynolds and the men are off the ship. I would assume it will take all of them to herd the cattle. And if they're all gone, and the warrior woman is on Sihnon, that would leave only the women and children on Serenity."

"There is the doctor to consider," the thin man offered as a reminder.

Theodora looked at him sharply. "I don't expect Woodward and his men would have much problem with the doctor. But they will have to handle Mrs. Reynolds carefully. She's quite dangerous, if the tapes in my late husband's library are to be trusted."

The thin man nodded. "If they run into trouble, what are your orders?"

Mrs. Niska stared thoughtfully off into the distance for a moment. "No need to alert Reynolds' crew of who they are," she said finally. "Make it look like a simple burglary if they encounter anyone while they search for Badger. And tell Woodward not to kill anyone, unless he has to."

"As you wish," the thin man said, bowing as he turned to go.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal kissed River quickly on the cheek. "Hold down the fort whilst I'm gone," he said, taking an extra moment to smile at his wife. "And leave the ramp down for a few minutes to air out the place."

"Be careful," River warned, a faint prickle of dread running up her spine as she watched her husband, Jayne, and Jim work to herd the cattle down the ramp and toward the holding pens in the distance.

"Would be a mite easier with some horses," Mal said, eyeing the cattle suspiciously for signs that they were going to bolt.

"Ya' think?" Jayne asked from the other side of the herd.

Jim said nothing, intent on keeping the ones directly in front of him moving in the right direction. Mal and Jayne fell silent as the three men concentrated on their task. "Tell me again why we had to land so gorram far from the corral?" Jayne asked after several minutes had passed.

Mal sighed. "Buyer has other cattle in the corral already. Didn't want to cause a stampede with the noise of landing Serenity close by."

"Could have at least sent horses, or some other men to help," Jayne complained.

"Well, he didn't," Mal snapped, walking along side his group of cattle carefully. "Ain't too much farther, anyhow. Just up ahead."

Jim squinted in the dust disturbed by the cattle. "You mean that tiny speck at 12 o'clock?"

"That's the one," Mal confirmed.

Jim sighed, thinking that it would take them at least another half hour to get to the corral from where they were and wishing that he'd had the forethought to wear a bandanna around his nose and mouth.

XXXXXXXXXX

"All right," Woodward said quietly to the small group of men huddled within sight of Serenity's ramp. "Mrs. Niska said not to kill anybody 'less we have to. Seems to me the first order of business should be to get that little woman standing by the ramp taken care of."

"No problem," one of the men said, getting the woman easily in the sights of his tranquilizer gun. "I've got her."

River turned abruptly toward where the men stood, just as Woodward said, "Go ahead."

Quickly vaulting down the ramp to avoid the dart, River landed on her feet and stood, legs spread apart in a fighter's stance, to face the armed men. Woodward stepped forward, glancing back at the shooter in annoyance. He held up his hands. "It's all right, Miss," he said. "We don't want to have to hurt anybody. We just want to look around the ship."

"You can't," River said flatly.

"Oh, I'm fair certain we can," Woodward said, smiling pleasantly. "Saw that your menfolk are otherwise occupied. Still, there's no need for violence if you'll just step aside."

"No," River said calmly, calculating angles of trajectory as she watched Woodward and the men behind him.

Woodward walked steadily forward, watching River warily.

"It would be unadvisable for you to come closer," River said softly, staring intently at the man.

Woodward nodded once, and River felt the sting of a dart hit the back of her neck, just before her world faded to black.

"Good job," Woodward said, smiling up at the man standing on top of the ship and stepping over River's unconscious form. "Let's do this quick and clean."

The men nodded and moved silently into Serenity's cargo bay.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

**Black Widow**

**Part VI—Collateral Damage**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: The Widow Niska's men search the ship, and Mal, Jayne, and Jim return to an unsettling scene.

XXXXXXXXXX

Anya sat gently rocking Hannah in the small space, praying that the infant would not cry out. Adam huddled close beside her, his eyes wide with worry. "They're in the galley," he said, his voice the barest of whispers.

"What do they want?" Anya asked.

Adam scrunched up his face. "Don't know. Just know that Mama's voice inside my head told me to make sure we hide until they are gone."

Anya nodded, cold dread like a knot in the pit of her stomach. Surely Captain Mal would be back soon, she repeated to herself like a mantra. He would fix everything. A small sound of despair came from Adam. "They hurt Uncle Simon," he said, hugging his knees to his chest. Squeezing his eyes shut as if to block out the mental image, he added, "And they're headed toward the engine room."

XXXXXXXXXX

Thinking that Deadwood was an appropriate name for the miserable planet they were on, Mal knocked the dust off his shirt and pants as best he could. "You and your men are welcome to come in and have a drink," the owner of the little ranch said politely, as his foreman set about to get the herd settled. "You're bound to be parched after walkin' that herd all the way here."

Mal nodded, imagining the sheer bliss of a cold drink down his dusty throat. "Be much obliged," he said, stepping into the cool interior of the house. Jayne and Jim followed, a small cloud of dust swirling around them every time they moved.

Handing Mal a tall glass of icy water, the owner said, "Always heard Harrow's cattle were the finest of the breed anywhere nearbouts. But I can't believe what good shape they were in, considering they got here by space travel. I was expecting them to be a mite puny."

"Trip weren't all that long, and they were well-cared for whilst we had 'em," Mal said, letting the cool liquid slide easily down his throat.

"I can see that," the owner said, nodding happily. "Lost a good portion of my herd in a vicious sandstorm a few months back. I guess I'm lucky to have called Harrow when I did."

The four men stood for a moment quietly, each enjoying the cool drinks. "Well," Mal said, setting his glass down on the table. "Nice as this is, I conjure we'd best be gettin' back to the ship. Got a schedule to keep, you understand."

"Of course," the owner said quickly. "Harrow said your fee would be taken care of on his end, but let me at least send something along with you for supper. Ranch cook's got a fine hand, and I asked him to pack some things up for you." Waving a small man forward, the owner took a large hamper from his hands.

Handing it to Jayne, he turned back to Mal and extended his hand. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Captain Reynolds. And I'll keep you in mind should I need any transport services. Harrow says you're a good man."

Mal smiled. "That's always good to hear," he replied. "I'd be glad to hear from you any time."

Walking back out into the dust of the day, Mal thought that things were beginning to look up for Serenity's crew.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Be careful," Inara said, though she knew it was unnecessary to remind the ever cautious Zoe.

Zoe smiled, "Always am," she said, squeezing Inara's hand. "Good luck with the Guild tribunal."

"Thanks," Inara said, her bright smile dimming just a little. "I imagine I'll be needing it."

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Zoe said, stepping up into the shuttle. "You've faced Reavers. I expect you can handle three old women."

Inara grinned. "But I can't use my crossbow with the women," she pointed out.

"Can if you need to," Zoe said, a small smile curving her lush lips. "Come home soon's you can. Jayne gets to be unbearable when you're gone for too long, and I'd hate to have to kill him."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't," Inara said, stepping gracefully away from the shuttle's entrance to allow Zoe to close the door. "I'll wave as soon as I can."

Zoe nodded, sparing one last moment to look at the Companion. "We'll be waiting," she said before sealing the door.

Inara stood watching as the shuttle took off, saying a little prayer for Zoe's safe travel.

XXXXXXXXXX

Woodward rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Yes ma'am, we looked everywhere. And I swear to you, he wasn't there."

Theodora Niska's lips drew into a thin line. "I can't help but think that if your men had been better trained, they could have grabbed the little weasel when he first boarded Serenity on Persephone. It's shoddy work, if you ask me."

Woodward sighed, inwardly counting to ten before answering. "By the time we got confirmation as to what you wanted done, the whole crew had returned to the ship. It was too late."

"Well, Mr. Woodward," Mrs. Niska said, venom dripping from every syllable. "Let me make it plain for you. Should you ever have Badger in your sights again, my standing order is to retrieve him and bring him to me, regardless of how many people you have to go through to get to him. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Woodward swallowed nervously, remembering exactly who he was dealing with. "Yes ma'am," he said. "As for the immediate future, what are your orders?"

"Leave Deadwood immediately," she answered without a moment's hesitation. "No need to be a sitting target for Reynolds. But stay in the sector. I just might have another job for you."

Woodward nodded his acknowledgement and watched the screen dissolve into black before beginning the launch sequence. Sighing wearily, he wondered what mayhem the Widow Niska had in mind this time.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well now, that's downright peculiar," Jayne said, looking ahead.

"What?" Jim asked, as Mal followed Jayne's line of vision and saw what the merc had seen.

"Ramp's still down," Mal answered, his heart beginning to beat uneasily in his chest.

Jim frowned. "So? Maybe they just wanted to air it out as long as they could. You've got to admit the cattle did nothing to improve Serenity's air quality."

Mal began to walk rapidly. "Don't think that's it," he muttered, beginning to make out a form slumped on the ramp. His mouth went suddenly dry as he broke into a run. "River!" he shouted.

Exchanging a quick glance, Jayne and Jim began to run as well, dropping the hamper of food in the dust. Drawing their weapons, the men reached the ship quickly and pounded up the ramp.

Mal dropped to his knees beside his wife. "River," he said, treacherously close to panic. "Can you hear me, bao bei?"

River's eyelids fluttered slowly. "Mal?" she said, her head feeling as if it had been stuffed with cotton.

"What happened, darlin'?" Mal asked, holding his wife's still wobbling head steady.

"Men….came onto the ship," River stammered. Rubbing the back of her neck, she added, "Must have shot me with a tranquilizer dart."

Mal looked around quickly, and found the dart lying close by. Motioning to Jayne and Jim to search the rest of the ship, he asked, "What were they after?"

River frowned, trying to concentrate through the drug-induced fog. "Badger," she said finally.

Icy dread trickled down Mal's spine. "The widow's men, then," he whispered.

River looked at him with huge worry-filled eyes. "Adam and Hannah," she said.

"We'll find 'em," Mal said with a certainty he did not feel. "I'm sure Adam hid like he's been taught." Pulling River up on her feet, he said, "You'd best get to the infirmary. I'll see to the others."

River, too groggy to argue, headed toward the infirmary, but only made it a few feet before she began to weave dangerously. Closing the ramp quickly, Mal rushed to her side and lifted her into his arms. "Leave me," she said weakly. "Have to find the others."

"Jayne and Jim are seeing to the others," Mal said. ""And I'll join 'em soon as…" His words trailed off as he rounded the corner and saw into the infirmary.

Lifting her head off Mal's shoulder to look, River gasped. "Simon?" she called out.

Mal placed her gingerly on the exam table and turned his attention to his medic. Simon laid sprawled on the floor, a nasty purplish lump protruding from his brow. Kneeling beside him, Mal tried to wake him. After a long horrible moment, Simon's eyes opened slightly, and he winced with the effort. "Got to get to the others," he murmured. "Warn them."

Mal placed a calming hand on the doctor. "It's bein' handled, Simon. Everything's gonna be okay. Think you can get up on this here table if I help you?"

Simon nodded, hissing with the pain of the motion. "Don't know where they came from," he said hoarsely. "I looked up and they were just…there. One of them swung a rifle butt, and…" He gingerly touched his forehead, feeling the huge knot forming there. "And everything went black."

"I conjure it did at that," Mal said. "I'll be back to see to you and River in a minute. Just lie still 'til I get back. Dong ma?"

Simon turned to see River lying on the larger exam table. "River?" he asked in confusion.

"I'm all right, Simon," River said, her words slurring slightly. "Just a tranquilizer dart, I think."

Simon nodded, making the room spin dizzyingly about him. Slumping back onto the bed, he closed his eyes. "Kaylee was in the engine room, I think….with Daniel." His voice cracked with emotion. "Didn't have time to warn her."

"All this talkin' can't be good for your head," Mal said, interrupting him. "Lie still and be quiet. I'll see to Kaylee and Daniel." But looking at the unconscious Simon, he knew he'd wasted his breath.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jim jumped with the sudden scream of the infant. "That's Daniel," he said, breaking into a run toward the engine room. Barreling into the room right behind him, Jayne took in the scene. Kaylee lay sprawled on the floor, and Daniel was sitting beside her, wailing in terror.

Jim picked up the screaming child. "Shhhh," he soothed. "It's okay, little guy. Everything's okay."

Daniel squirmed in his arms, looking with huge green eyes at his mother and hiccupping with his tears.

Jayne knelt beside Kaylee, feeling for a pulse and thanking Buddha when he found one. "Li'l Kaylee," he said. "It's Jayne. You gotta wake up, so's the little one will know you're alive."

Kaylee opened her eyes slowly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Ow," she said when she hit the dart still lodged there. Pulling it out, she stared at it in confusion. "What…?"

Jayne helped her to her feet, draping her arm over his shoulder. "Don't rightly know," he said grimly.

"Daniel, is he…?" Kaylee said, lurching toward her son.

Jim smiled. "He's fine," he said. "I expect whatever happened just scared him a bit."

Kaylee reached out for him, but Jim held the child away from her. "Don't think you're up to holding him just yet," he said, looking pointedly at the way she was wobbling.

"Guess not," Kaylee said, her voice thready. "Musta' been some strong stuff in that dart."

"Looks like," Jayne said, moving her toward the infirmary with a little difficulty. "We'll just get the doc to check you out."

"But what about the others?" Kaylee asked, fighting to string the words together in the correct order. "The children?"

"I'm sure they're fine," Jim assured her, exchanging a worried glance with Jayne.

XXXXXXXXXX

Having left the injured with Jim and Jayne in the infirmary, Mal prowled through the ship, looking for the children. He well knew it was useless to call for them, as they had been trained not to answer in the case of Serenity being boarded by hostiles and the adults taken hostage. Thinking not for the first time that a ship such as theirs was really not the safest place to raise children, Mal systematically went through his vessel, looking into every hiding spot he'd mapped out for the children.

As the number of hiding places dwindled, he began to panic. What if the Widow's men had taken them as hostages? The thought made his blood run cold. Tamping down his growing fear, Mal stopped in the corridor outside the second shuttle bay. And in the stillness, he just barely heard the muffled cry of his daughter. His world narrowed down to that blessed sound and he walked back the way he had come until he stood under the air vent. Looking up through the grate, he thought he could just see the tip of Adam's shoes.

He reached up to remove the grate and was rewarded by the sight of Adam's shoes pulling further back into the vent. "It's all right, little fella," he said softly. "It's just Daddy."

Pulling the grate completely out, he peered into the vent and saw Adam, Anya, and Hannah staring back at him with huge eyes. He held out his arms, and Adam jumped into them quickly, wrapping himself around his father tightly. "We didn't come out," he said shakily. "Not for one minute."

Taking Hannah from Anya's hands so that she could climb down as well, Mal hugged his children tightly to him. "You did good, Adam. Real good."

"Is everybody else okay?" Anya asked quietly, her huge blue eyes filled with worry. "We heard them talking. They were definitely not good men."

Mal reached out to embrace her as well. "Everybody's gonna be just fine," he said, though privately he was more than a little uneasy about what exactly the future might hold.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	7. Chapter 7

**Black Widow**

**Part VII—The Tribunal**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Inara faces her nemesis, and Mal tries to handle things back on Serenity.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara took a deep, cleansing breath and opened the door to the council chamber. The House Mistress of Madrassa sat regally between her two companions on the tribunal, watching Inara's entrance with one elegantly raised eyebrow.

"Inara," she said, inclining her head in the slightest way possible. "It is the understanding of this tribunal that you wish to make some sort of petition."

"Yes," Inara said, relieved that her voice did not waver. "I wish to make petition concerning resignation from the Guild."

The two companions of the House Mistress looked vaguely shocked, but Inara noted that the House Mistress herself looked almost bored by the announcement. The older woman sniffed slightly. "I had assumed as much, from your original wave requesting a hearing. For what reason do you request such a thing?"

Inara had thought long and hard about how she would answer such a question. She had no wish to reveal before the tribunal that she was already involved in a serious relationship with Jayne, assuming that such a statement would make her position all the more tenuous. "As you are all well aware," she began smoothly, "I was involved in the release of the Miranda Wave. Since that time, I have felt an increasing need to be very…selective in my choice of clients. You can, of course, understand how awkward it would be for me to contract with any high-ranking Alliance personnel, considering the circumstances. And, quite frankly, there have been some rather unpleasant situations that I have encountered in the past few years. All of these things have led me to believe that perhaps it is time for me to look into other opportunities, before the quality of my work is affected."

The House Mistress made a small sound of displeasure. "You expect us to believe that you, a Companion of the highest order, are unable to find sufficient clients with whom you feel comfortable?"

Inara knew from experience with the old harridan that she was being baited. Smiling her most pleasant smile, she answered, "As I'm sure you can imagine, Serenity's crew is somewhat notorious now. Though I had originally leased a shuttle from Captain Reynolds to expand my client base, regrettably, circumstances have, in fact, limited my options somewhat."

The woman to the right of the House Mistress spoke up. "Perhaps the better solution would be to sever your ties with those people instead of retiring from the Guild. Do not forget, Inara, that the Guild has tremendous resources to aid all of our Companions. You have been a very valuable asset to us, and we only want to ensure that you are making the wisest decision for your future. Losing the support we can provide could prove to be most….inconvenient to you."

The House Mistress interrupted. "Not to mention, expensive. I'm sure you are well aware that you are one of our most highly compensated Companions. Your resignation would result in a considerable loss of income for House Madrassa." She looked piercingly at Inara. "Reasonably speaking, we were operating under the assumption that you would be a practicing Companion for several more years. Then, as you are well aware, we expected that you would perhaps take a teaching role here. Your experience with the admittedly seedier side of the 'verse would be invaluable to young women hoping to achieve the measure of success that you have enjoyed. The loss of such potential benefit to the Guild and its members is, shall we say, of considerable value."

Inara swallowed discreetly, having known that ultimately this line of reasoning would be the thing that she could not successfully debate. "I am aware that the course you describe is the typical one followed by Companions as they…" She paused delicately. "…mature. However, I must in all honesty say that I find the thought of servicing clients for the next several years to be unsettling. And as for teaching the girls that come into the Training House, I attempted that for a time, if you will remember. I found it unpalatable."

The House Mistress tapped her finger on the table impatiently. "I assure you that you would find withdrawal of all Guild privileges even more unpalatable. Not to mention the fact that substantial monetary fines will be levied against you, should you choose so poorly."

Inara held her head up, unconsciously straightening her spine in the process. "Mistress, with all due respect, I would like to state for the record that I have indeed considered the potential consequences of early resignation from this esteemed institution. However, I am also aware that such levies are, to some small degree, at the discretion of the tribunal. With that in mind, I appeal to you to consider my petition with a modicum of mercy. I am quite certain that I cannot, as it now stands, provide the level of service that my clients deserve." Looking pleadingly at the women on either side of the House Mistress, she continued, "Above all things, you know as well as I that a Companion must be completely committed to the needs and desires of her clients. I can no longer offer such a commitment. While it may be regrettable, it is indeed the truth. Knowing this, I implore you to consider allowing my resignation with reasonable stipulations, for the sake of my clients, the reputation of the Guild, and for my own sake, as well.

The House Mistress looked intently at Inara and admired her considerable skills of persuasion. She could almost feel the two women beside her softening under Inara's charm. Knowing with the uncanny ability she had to see through all forms of deception that Inara was hiding the real reason for her request, she leaned forward slightly. "Inara," she began, honey dripping from each word. "I cannot help but feel that you are not being completely open with us about your situation. As much as it pains me to say it, I believe you are concealing something pertinent to our ability to render a decision." She reached a bony hand to cover Inara's own. "We're your family, child. We are here to help you. But we cannot help you if you don't tell us the entire truth." She sat back, her eyes piercingly bright.

For one breathtaking moment, Inara believed her. The idea of confiding her situation had a strangely hypnotic appeal. And then she realized why the House Mistress had attained her position. The woman, for all her age, was still quite the seductress when she wanted to be. Arranging her face into careful neutrality, Inara said softly, "I have told you everything, Mistress."

The older woman's eyes turned steely gray. "In that case, Miss Serra, I suppose this tribunal will adjourn until we have had time to consider all the ramifications of your request. That is, of course, if there are no further questions or observations from my esteemed colleagues." She looked expectantly at the other women.

"I think we have what we need," the one to the left of the House Mistress said, looking at Inara with a disheartening expression.

"Fine," the House Mistress said, putting a definitive end to the meeting. "Inara, you are, of course, free to use the house facilities until such time as we arrive at our judgment. We will do our best to be prompt in apprizing you of our decision as soon as it is feasible to do so."

"Thank you, Mistress," Inara said, rising from her chair to incline her head politely. "I will await your decision eagerly." Heart hammering wildly in her chest, she concentrated on walking steadily to the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jim looked at Mal worriedly. "He's got a pretty bad concussion," he said, motioning toward Simon. "Was talking out of his head for a little while. Drifting in and out."

Mal nodded. "Nothing to do but wait and see how he does, I reckon." Rubbing the back of his sore neck distractedly, he said, "What about River? She still seems to be mighty groggy."

"So's Kaylee," Jim acknowledged. "Whatever they used in those darts was some pretty potent stuff. But so far as I know, which isn't far by the way, they should be all right. Need to just sleep it off, I think."

Mal nodded, looking worriedly at his sleeping wife. "Hannah's hungry, and so is Daniel. Reckon it's safe for 'em to nurse?"

Jim frowned. "I have no idea," he admitted. "For that answer, we'd best wait for Simon. Assuming, that is, that he's lucid when he wakes up. Wouldn't want to pass anything on to the babies that would knock them out, or worse."

Mal sighed. "Kinda' what I thought too," he said. "Maybehaps we can find something to soothe 'em 'til we know." Turning toward the door of the infirmary, he said, "By the way, thanks for the help in here."

"No problem," Jim said easily. "Least it keeps my mind off Zoe bein' out there somewhere with Mrs. Niska's thugs about."

"Yeah," Mal said, the weight of worry heavy on his chest. "Best not to think on that right now."

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe looked carefully at the sensor display on the navigational panel. For the past hour, a small vessel had been shadowing the shuttle, and she was beginning to feel uneasy about it. Each attempt to put distance between the shuttle and the ship had proven useless, and the ship was beginning to come into visual range.

Zoe's heart sank as she saw the vessel up close. Bristling with weaponry, it was one of the models that had been retired from active service in the Alliance military structure in the last few years. She knew the model well enough, having had similar ships flying over her head on any number of battlefields. Small enough to be maneuverable but weapons heavy, the ship design was ideally suited for the pirate trade. And Zoe was fairly certain that it was pirates she was looking at right now.

The fact that the ship had made no attempt to hail the shuttle confirmed her suspicions. Pirates had a notorious lack of interest in chatting. Zoe considered briefly activating the call button Kaylee had installed under the console, but thought better of it. She was only a few hours from her rendezvous with Serenity, and they could scarcely get to her before the ship did. Figuring that Serenity could follow the tracking device for the shuttle, she knew she just had to wait for them to come for her. Until then, she aimed to be prepared. Pulling her mare's leg from its holster, she rechecked that it was properly loaded and sat still to wait.

She did not have to wait long. The shuttle shuddered violently, almost tumbling Zoe from her chair. She realized that the jarring movement had been caused by a tractor beam being activated around the shuttle. Apparently, she thought wryly, whatever they intended to do, they were planning to do elsewhere. With no weapons to repel them on the outside of the shuttle and no way to break the hold of the tractor beam, she resigned herself to being towed wherever the pirates were going until she could discover an opportunity for escape.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal sat scowling at the Cortex screen. "Know it was your men as came on my boat and hurt my folk," he spat out, anger making his blue eyes blaze with laser light intensity.

Theodora Niska sat in her chair, every line of her body emphasizing her total lack of concern. "So it was," she said conversationally. "What of it?"

"I ain't done nothin' to you 'ceptin' to rid you of that hundan of a husband, which, if I recollect correctly, you thanked me for when we first met. So, how is it that you think to invade my home like that?"

The widow smiled benignly. "Ah, Mr. Reynolds, I do believe you think me some sort of fool. Did you think for one moment that I would not find out that you harbored Badger on your vessel? I made it quite plain when last we spoke that you were to turn him over to me, should you encounter him. Imagine my chagrin to discover that not only did you not do that, you helped him escape Persephone. Very disappointing, I must say. And as far as I'm concerned, your behavior in this matter negates any kind feelings I had toward you before. Your vessel and your people are forfeit to me."

"That a fact?" Mal said, in a voice that his crew would have known meant someone was likely to end up with a few extra holes.

Mrs. Niska peered intently into the screen. "It is, Captain Reynolds," she answered coldly. "Unless you intend to help me reverse this situation you helped to create." She paused, taking time to clean her eyeglasses before continuing. "If you return Badger to me, I will consider it payment for your betrayal."

"First off, I ain't betrayed you, seein' as how I don't work for you, and I never agreed to do anything about Badger. Secondly, Badger stowed away on my boat, and I didn't even know he was here until we were in route to Deadwood. Third, I don't have the slightest notion where he is now. And fourth, I don't bargain with folks that hurt my people. Any charity I felt toward you is long gone. Dong ma?"

The widow leaned forward in her chair, her face a grim mask. "Make no mistake, Captain Reynolds. I am going to have Badger, and you are going to help me one way or another. I will not be thwarted again."

"Not likely I'll be helping you," Mal said flatly. "More likely I'll be takin' you down, if you come near me or mine again. Won't be the first Niska I've had to kill."

"We'll see about that," Mrs. Niska said calmly. "Good day, Captain Reynolds." She cut off the transmission with a quick flick of her wrist and sat back in her chair heavily. Turning to the thin man, she asked, "Do you think he was telling the truth about not knowing where Badger is?"

"Probably," the thin man replied carefully. "Especially if the little weasel stowed away on his boat. Wouldn't think they'd be on good terms after a stunt like that."

Mrs. Niska sighed. "Perhaps not, but I am getting quite annoyed with the chase. I believe it's time to use another form of persuasion with Captain Reynolds. Wave Woodward. I have instructions for him."

"As you wish," the thin man said, turning to the screen to comply with her orders.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	8. Chapter 8

**Black Widow**

**Part VIII—Piracy**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Zoe gets out of the frying pan, and Inara feels some heat of her own.

XXXXXXXXXX

"The contact on Sihnon watched the Washburne woman leave. The Companion stayed behind. Leave her be. I have no wish to bother with the Guild. One hostage should be sufficient for our purposes. And the Washburne woman is a special favorite of Reynolds. He'll deal with us to get her back.," Mrs. Niska said.

Woodward nodded. "All right. So you want us to pick her up. Where is she?"

Mrs. Niska tapped her teeth with her index finger for a moment. "It's a short range shuttle. She has to be en route to rendezvous with Serenity. I'm sure you can find her easily enough."

"What do you want me to do with her once I have her?" Woodward asked.

"Once she is secured, let me know immediately. I'll give you further instructions then."

"And the shuttle?" Woodward asked.

Mrs. Niska waved her hand impatiently. "I have no use for the shuttle. Let it drift. When Reynolds finds it, he can sit and stew for awhile."

Woodward smiled thinly. "Yes ma'am," he said just before the widow cut the transmission.

XXXXXXXXXX

River walked slowly to the bridge where Mal sat absentmindedly humming to Hannah and staring out into the Black. Her head was still pounding and the effort of walking was exhausting, but she needed to see him for herself, needed to assure herself that her family was intact. As she sank into the co-pilot's chair with a small sigh, Mal turned to face her. "Feelin' some better, darlin'?" he asked, making an effort to mask the extent of his worry.

"Still a little wobbly," River answered. "But my head isn't so full of cotton as before."

"Well, that's not nothin'," Mal replied encouragingly. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Then, Mal asked, "Umm, River, there's something that's been kinda' weighin' on me. I've seen you clear out an entire bar, take out a room of Reavers, and evade more bullets than I care to remember. How is it that those men got the drop on you?"

River sighed. "Was concentrating on getting through to Adam. I had to warn the children. There was a group in front of me, and one of them had a tranq gun. I knew there was someone climbing up onto the top of the ramp entrance, but I thought that his aim would be less sure than the one in front of me. Calculated the odds, and lost. Couldn't act quickly enough and concentrate on the children."

Mal looked at her carefully for a moment. "Least you got through to Adam. He and Anya had Hannah in the vent system just like they've been taught."

River nodded, the lump in her throat easing a little. "Have to reward them for that when this is all over." She closed her eyes for a moment and Mal was struck again by how pale she was. "Mrs. Niska is not going to stop, is she?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"Conjure she won't," Mal said grimly. "Not until we stop her."

"How?" River asked.

"She says what she wants is Badger. We deliver Badger, she lets us walk," Mal replied.

"And you believe her?"

"No, can't say as I do," Mal said. "But the way I figure it, if we have Badger, we've got a bargaining chip."

"So you'd turn him in and let her kill him?" River asked, resisting the urge to read her husband.

"Didn't say that," Mal said. "But it ain't like we can mount an assault on her Skyplex. Can't imagine that she won't have beefed up security to handle this little situation." He smiled a wry smile. "Be a lot easier just to have her open the front door for us, I expect."

"So, we need to find Badger," River said, her mind working irritatingly slowly.

"Soon's Zoe gets back, we can head to Newhall to hunt for him. With a little luck, he'll be easy to find."

XXXXXXXXXX

"What do you mean, she's already been captured?' Theodora Niska hissed.

Woodward winced at the venom in her tone. "The shuttle's being towed by another ship. Looks to be your standard pirating operation. Common enough along this trade route."

Mrs. Niska thought for a moment. "How likely is it that they have already taken her off the shuttle?"

"Wouldn't think they'd bother 'til they get it where it's going," Woodward answered slowly. "It's not like she's going anywhere."

Mrs. Niska nodded, warming to the plan developing in her head. "Can you destroy the ship without destroying the shuttle?"

"Perhaps if we could disable the tractor beams, we could," Woodward answered. "But while we were destroying the ship, she'd more than likely make a run for it."

"And?" Mrs. Niska asked. "What if she did? Surely your vessel can outrun a short range shuttle."

"Assuming our ship isn't damaged in the fight with the other vessel," Woodward said dryly.

Theodora Niska leaned forward in her chair. "I am going to assume that, Mr. Woodward. Be quick about destroying the pirate ship, and then disable the shuttle. I want Zoe Washburne in your hold in the next two hours. Dong ma?"

"I understand," Woodward said.

"Oh, and be sure to leave the shuttle's beacon transmitting," she said, her lips pulling into a thin smile. "I want Captain Reynolds to see that she's gone."

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe was surprised to see another ship just at the end of the shuttle sensor's range. Thinking wryly that this little sector of the Black was seeing more traffic than she would have imagined, she wondered briefly if the presence of the new vessel would work to her advantage at all.

She had her answer in record time when she saw the new vessel take aim and fire at the pirate vessel which held the shuttle. Cursing under her breath, she strapped herself in to the pilot's seat, grabbing the yoke of the shuttle as it buckled with the aftershock of the hit to the pirate ship. The tractor beam's hold weakened, and Zoe pushed the shuttle controls relentlessly forward, trying to break free of the last vestiges of the beam. If the gorram fools on the new vessel were looking to help her, she thought irritably, they were doing a piss poor job of it. As the pirate ship shuddered behind her with the force of the hits to its main section, Zoe rammed the controls further still, pushing the little shuttle to its top capacity for speed.

The shuttle shot sickeningly forward, suddenly released from the beam completely as Zoe watched the pirate ship being reduced to large chunks by the new vessel on the scene. Sparing only a moment to look back at its fall, Zoe thumbed the controls easily, taking the shuttle completely out of the wake of the destruction.

She breathed a quick sigh of relief, altering her course to take her back to Serenity. Pushing the shuttle a little harder, she glanced back at the scene behind her. The pirate ship had been split into several large chunks, each spinning crazily with the momentum of its explosion. And to Zoe's horror, she saw the other ship turning to follow her course. Activating the tracking beacon, she decided it was time to call for backup.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jim stood gripping the back of the pilot's chair, his knuckles white with tension. "Try again," he said hoarsely.

Mal sighed. "If she's out there and able, she'd have answered by now. We've been in communications range for thirty minutes." He hated the heavy sound of his own voice.

Jim looked over Mal's shoulder, studying the readouts carefully as if he could find Zoe there if he just looked hard enough. "Maybe there's something wrong with her comm," he suggested.

"Could be," Mal said, though he knew Kaylee had checked it before the shuttle had left Serenity. Wasn't any need to point that out right now, he thought sadly. "We should have a visual in a few minutes."

Silence fell on the bridge as everyone peered out into the Black, hoping to see some sign of the shuttle. After several tense minutes, Jayne said, "I see it."

Mal looked up from his sensors to see the shuttle in front of him. "She's adrift," he said softly, noting the strange orientation of the small vessel. "Jayne, get ready to suit up. We need to get over there and see what's what."

"I want to go," Jim said. "Leave Jayne here with the ship. Let me go, please."

Mal looked at him steadily, noting the wild hope in his eyes. "You sure you can handle whatever we find over there?"

"I need to go," Jim said quietly, willing the Captain to understand his desperation.

Mal nodded. "All right. But bein' as how we don't know what we're gonna find, you bring extra everything. And grab a medkit from the infirmary, just in case."

Jim nodded, turning hurriedly to accomplish his task while Mal turned to Jayne. "Guess that leaves you to baby sit the boat."

"Guess so," Jayne said, none too pleased to be sitting this one out. Zoe was a gorram good woman to have at your back, and Jayne was more than a little worried about her.

But he couldn't really fault Jim for pushing to go, thinking that if it was Inara that had called for help, no power in the 'verse could keep him from going to her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara was startled by the knock on her door. It was well past midnight, and she had assumed that everyone in House Madrassa would be asleep. Pulling her robe around her shoulders, she opened the door.

"Good evening, Inara," the House Mistress said. When Inara stood looking at her with surprise, she added, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Inara stepped back to let the older woman enter, feeling suddenly vulnerable. "I'm afraid I wasn't expecting to entertain guests at this hour," Inara said, once she knew her voice would be steady. "But I can brew some tea, if you'd like."

"That would be lovely," the House Mistress said, arranging her voluminous skirts about her elegantly. Watching Inara's graceful movements as she prepared the tea, the House Mistress sighed heavily. "You were born to be a Companion, Inara," she said.

Inara smiled. "I rather doubt anyone was born to be a Companion, Mistress. But, I have worked very hard to become adept at my craft. So I appreciate the compliment." She handed the older woman the steaming cup.

"Which leads me to the reason for my visit," the House Mistress said seamlessly.

"You have news from the tribunal?" Inara asked.

"No, my dear, this is a personal visit," the House Mistress said. "The tribunal has come to no definite decision, and I expect it might be quite awhile before we do. There are, as you can imagine, many things for us to consider." She sipped her tea delicately. "I am here because I know you are attempting to deceive the council."

Inara took a moment to calmly sip her own tea. "I cannot imagine why you would believe such a thing."

The House Mistress's voice was suddenly as sharp as the lash of a whip against Inara's skin. "Because I know you, Inara. Believe me when I say that I have spent a great deal of time studying you. Your unorthodox choices, your obvious talents, your ability to rise above adversity." She leaned forward, setting the cup gently on the low table in front of her. "That is why I find your claim that you doubt your ability to service clients to be completely ludicrous."

"Perhaps this conversation would be aided by some information from you," Inara said, letting just a hint of steel show in her voice. "If you will simply tell me what it is that you think I am hiding, perhaps the matter can be resolved to everyone's satisfaction."

"You're being deliberately obtuse," the House Mistress said, huffing with irritation. "But I will speak plainly. I know that when you were training young women here before the Captain of Serenity so unceremoniously removed you from House Madrassa, you were in love with him." At Inara's surprised expression, she continued, "I am no fool, Inara. I have watched you closely, as I stated. But your pirate Captain is a married man…with two small children, unless my sources are incorrect. Resigning from the Guild to be his lover would be most…inappropriate, and would, I might add, damage the reputation of this House more than you can imagine."

Inara fought back the sudden urge to laugh. "House Mistress, I can assure you that my request for resignation has absolutely nothing to do with being in love with Captain Reynolds," she said.

The House Mistress sat back in her chair, taking the cup into her hands again. "Then perhaps someone has offered you a private contract? One whose profits you would not prefer to share with the Guild, perhaps?"

"I would never accept a personal contract while under contract with the Guild," Inara said firmly. "And I believe that if you look at my record here, you will find that I have paid the stipulated percentage of profit required in every instance."

"Yes, well, there's always a possibility that one can change one's mind in such matters," the older woman said, not at all deterred by Inara's denials.

"I have not changed my mind in the slightest," Inara said flatly. "Now unless there's something else, I am quite tired and need to get some rest."

The House Mistress set her cup back on the low table. "This matter is not at an end, Inara. I will get to the bottom of your reasons at some point. And until I am satisfied that I know everything I need to know, I intend to hold up the tribunal's decision. Do I make myself clear?"

"You do," Inara said, standing to escort the woman out. Watching her walk down the silent corridor outside her door, Inara sighed, knowing that the old woman meant every threat she uttered.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	9. Chapter 9

**Black Widow**

**Part IX—The Shuttle**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Mal and Jim check out the shuttle, and Inara and Jayne have a talk.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal tried to breathe normally, though it took great effort. Gently propelling himself forward to land on the shuttle's window, he grasped the riveted lip of the window to stay in place. Jim followed, slowly drifting toward him until he hit the window as well. The two men each took a deep breath and looked inside, hoping somehow to see Zoe looking back at them calmly.

After a long, horrible moment of hope, Jim glanced at Mal. "She's not here," he said, his voice catching.

"Maybehaps she's in the back of the shuttle," Mal answered, though neither man believed that to be true. "Need to get in there and see what's what."

Thumbing his comm., Mal spoke to River. "No sign of her inside. Think you are steady enough to maneuver into position so we can dock the shuttle?"

River's voice filtered back to him, sounding vaguely mechanical. "I can try," she answered.

"If you don't think you can do it," Mal said seriously, "We can get Kaylee to override the seal and get inside to dock it ourselves. But then Inara's stuff gets sucked out in the process."

"I can do it, ai ren," River replied a little more steadily. "Just might take awhile."

"In that case, we'll come on back to Serenity," Mal said. "I'll let you know when we're on."

Turning to Jim, he motioned him forward. "No use bein' out here while we wait. Let's get back."

Jim nodded, his face a mask of grief. "What do you think happened?" he asked.

Mal looked toward the large chunks of twisted metal floating a short distance away. "Don't rightly know," he said softly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Simon looked carefully at himself in the mirror, trying unsuccessfully to see if his pupils were responding correctly to light. Thinking it the height of stupidity to believe that he could accurately assess his own concussion, he sighed wearily. The thought of Mal and Jim bringing in an injured Zoe made his head ache all the more. Knowing that everyone on board would be expecting him to pull off a medical miracle if needed was a less than comforting thought at the moment.

Even worse was the possibility that they would not find her. If she had somehow fallen into the hands of Mrs. Niska, Simon could only imagine what horrors awaited all of them. Taking something for the persistent throbbing of his head, he made his way to the cargo bay, needing to find out exactly what was going on.

Mal and Jim were stepping out of their suits, twin expressions of grim determination on their faces. "So I take it you didn't find her?" Simon asked softly.

Jim's stricken expression was evidence enough of the fact, but Mal answered, "She wasn't in the pilot's chair. That ain't to say she's not in the back of the shuttle. We'll find out soon's River can maneuver into position for docking."

Simon nodded, the motion sending a spike of pain through his head. "And if she's not there?"

Mal looked at him sternly. "Then we go get her," he said. When Jim nodded his agreement, Mal added, "When we can figure where to look."

Kaylee came up behind her husband, leaning into him for support. Still reeling from the effects of the tranquilizer dart, she stood on wobbly legs. "You think Mrs. Niska's got 'er?"

"We'd best hope she does," Jayne said, coming down the stairs rapidly. "'Cause if'n she was on that ship out there that got blown into chunks, ain't no way she coulda' made it out."

Everyone stood for one horrified moment, considering the validity of his words. Thinking it painfully ironic to be hoping that his best friend was in the hands of an apparently psychotic old woman, Mal swallowed thickly. "If she ain't in the shuttle, I'm gonna be wavin' the widow. If she's using Zoe as leverage, she'll let me know soon enough." Putting a hand on Jim's slumped shoulders, he added, "And she may be crazy, but she's sane enough to know that she has to keep Zoe alive to use her against me."

Jim nodded, temporarily speechless, and everyone else looked steadily at anything other than the worried man.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara's shuttle docked with the ship with a thud. Barely able to wait for the area to pressurize, Jim opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit interior. Mal followed him more slowly, knowing with that innate sense he had for Zoe that he would not find her there.

Jim moved rapidly through the shuttle, looking in every conceivable spot, hoping beyond hope that she was simply hiding somewhere from whoever had been after her. But soon enough, even he knew it was useless to look further. "She's not here," he said woodenly.

"No, she's not," Mal answered, his jaw tight with the knowledge.

River drifted into the shuttle behind them. "I don't think she was on the pirate vessel," she said softly. "I've been scanning the wreckage, and none of the bodies were women."

Jim's look of hope was heartbreaking. "All right then," he said, turning to Mal. "Let's go get her."

Mal raised one eyebrow. "You got a plan for that?" he asked. "You sure you even know where she is?"

Jim wilted visibly. "No, but I sure as hell can't just sit around waiting for one to come up," he said honestly.

Mal nodded. "I'll go talk to the widow."

XXXXXXXXXX

Mrs. Niska smiled benignly. "So you've lost a crew member, you say?"

Mal's hands curled into fists and the vein in his temple pulsed wildly. "I got no time for games, old woman," he said, his voice low and deadly. "If you've got her, you'd damn well best tell me right now."

"Or what, Captain?" Mrs. Niska said, peering at him over her glasses. "I hardly think you're in any position to make demands of me. I very plainly stated that I consider your entire crew forfeit until you get me Badger. So, why should I be concerned if one of them goes missing?"

"Are you saying you don't have her?" Mal asked.

"Oh no, Captain, I do indeed have her," Mrs. Niska said calmly. "But that knowledge will do you little good unless you have Badger. I'd consider his hide a reasonable ransom for your first mate."

"How can I be sure you have her?" Mal said. "I want to see her."

"Oh, that will be quite impossible," Mrs. Niska said evenly.

"If I don't get proof you have her, I won't give you Badger. Dong ma?"

"Fair enough," Mrs. Niska said. "After all, I am not an unreasonable woman. You give me proof you have Badger and I will give you proof I have your woman."

"I'll be back in touch," Mal said, gritting his teeth. "But if you harm one hair on her head, I swear that I will kill you dead. Just so you know."

"I don't respond well to threats, Captain Reynolds," the old woman said quietly. "You would be well advised to keep that in mind during our future negotiations." So saying, she cut the transmission, leaving Mal to stare at a blank screen.

"What are we going to do?" Jim asked from the shadows of the bridge.

Mal pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and finger. "We're gonna go find Badger," he said hollowly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara sat staring at the Cortex screen in disbelief. "Is Mal sure that Mrs. Niska has her?" she asked uncertainly.

"Fair certain," Jayne replied grimly. "The old bitch wants us to do her Badger-huntin' for her."

"And Mal is planning to do it?" Inara asked, hardly believing such a thing.

"Hey, it's Zoe she's holding hostage. You think for one minute Mal would put Badger's life ahead of hers?"

"Good point," Inara said, though the thought of it all made her sick somehow.

Seeing her pained expression, Jayne said softly, "Would I be a wrong man to admit that I'm gorram glad that you were at the Training House and nowhere near that shuttle when she was taken?" Inara smiled at him sadly. He continued, "God, Inara, ain't sure I could stand it if something like that were to happen to you. I'm near enough out of my mind just 'cause you're not here. Can't imagine what I'd feel if I didn't know exactly where you were. I'm in love with you, baby doll."

"And I, you," Inara said softly.

"You got any notion about when you can come home?" Jayne asked.

"None," Inara said sighing. "The tribunal is still considering the matter. I have had no word as to how long they might take."

Jayne grunted. "Prolly best you're not here right now, anyhow. I s'pect Mal's gonna be stormin' the Skyplex soon's we can, whether there's a chance in hell we can get her out or not. Ain't got the slightest doubt he'd step into hell for Zoe."

"As would we all," Inara said quietly. "Be careful, Jayne."

"Aw hell, Inara," Jayne said, forcing a grin onto his face. "You don't think a little old widow woman can take me down, do you?"

"Don't underestimate her, Jayne," Inara said, not allowing him to slip past quite so easily. "Anyone who can live with Niska for forty years is a woman to be taken seriously."

"Be careful yourself, Inara," Jayne said. "No tellin' what she might take it in her head to do to the rest of us just to annoy Mal."

"I will, Jayne," Inara said, glancing at her chronometer. "I have to go now. I love you."

"Me too," Jayne said, cutting the transmission.

And as Inara readied herself for her appointment, the House Mistress of Madrassa turned off her own terminal, smiling as she thought about the conversation she'd just heard.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Need to relax," River said, straddling the back of Mal's thighs as she kneaded the muscles of his shoulders and back into submission.

"Not like to happen 'til Zoe's back onboard," Mal said, his words muffled by the pillow tucked under his chin.

"I know," River said softly, feeling his worry like a physical force battering against her mind. "We'll get her back."

"You know that for a fact?" Mal asked.

"As good as," River answered evasively.

Mal twisted around to look intently at his wife. "Answer me straight. Have you seen something I should know?"

"No," River answered. "I really don't know what will happen. I'm sorry, ai ren."

Mal turned back around, resting his head on his arms. "Was afraid you'd say that," he murmured.

River's strong slender hands moved steadily along his spine, easing the knots out of his muscles as she went. "Zoe's one of the strongest women I know. I believe she will be all right," she offered, breaking the tense silence.

"That she is," Mal answered. "Don't have any weak women on this boat, best as I can tell. Even Hannah can pretty much let you know exactly what she wants."

River giggled. "She most certainly can," she said. "Stubborn like her father."

Mal smiled into his pillow. "Hope so," he said, beginning to feel the tension melt away as River continued her ministrations. "Like to have a need for it in this 'verse." And as he felt himself drifting off into a light sleep, he hoped to heaven that Zoe would be around to teach his daughter a thing or two about being a stubborn woman.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	10. Chapter 10

**Black Widow**

**Part X—Separation Anxiety**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Anya struggles with her worry, and Serenity heads to Newhall.

XXXXXXXXXX

Anya sat alone on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest and fighting back the tears that threatened to fall at any minute. All of the adults had tried to be reassuring, but Anya was not blind nor stupid. She'd seen the pain in Captain Mal's eyes, and the near-panic in Uncle Jim's. And even worse, she remembered what Captain Mal had looked like when he'd returned from Niska's lair before. Suppressing a shudder, she leaned her head on her knees and squeezed her eyes shut.

A minute later, she was startled by the door opening, and she looked up to see Adam standing uncertainly in the doorway. "Can I come in?" he asked, his blue eyes full of sympathy.

"If you want," Anya said. "I don't think I'll be very good company though."

Adam crawled up on the bed beside her, laying his arm as far across her shoulders at it would reach. "Know you're sad," he said quietly.

Anya drew in a ragged breath. "Yes, I am," she answered honestly.

"Miss your mama," Adam said, staring at the wall.

"Yes," Anya said, her voice cracking as the tears she'd been holding back began to fall. "What if she doesn't come back?"

Adam patted Anya's arm awkwardly with his other hand. "She will," he said simply.

"She might not," Anya choked out. "Your Daddy is worried. I can tell."

Adam nodded. "Um hmm," he said. "But he'll go get her. Won't let anything bad happen to her."

"It already has," Anya wailed. "That horrible woman already has her. And what if she does something to her before your Daddy gets there? She could, you know."

Adam could not think of anything else to say to make his friend feel any better, so he just held her tighter, wrapping his arms around her neck and hugging tight. "They'll think of something," he whispered into the side of Anya's neck. "They always do."

XXXXXXXXXX

Jim sat in the galley trying to control the impulse to go to the bridge and harass River into pushing Serenity harder to get to Newhall. Realistically speaking, they were traveling as fast as it was safe to go, but Jim could barely contain the nervous energy that was coursing through him so unmercifully.

Mal walked into the galley, noting immediately the way Jim's knee was jiggling up and down with pent-up adrenaline. He had to admit to himself that he was doing no better. Every minute that Zoe spent in captivity was another minute of excruciating tension for him, and he could well sympathize with the man in front of him. Rummaging around until he found a bottle of Jayne's whiskey, he set a mug in front of Jim and took one for himself. Pouring them both a generous amount, he took a long drink, wincing as the liquid fire went down his throat.

Jim swallowed his first taste as well. "Got any idea where to look when we get there?" he asked hollowly.

"Not a clue," Mal answered truthfully. "But Newhall ain't all that populated, so if he's still there, we should be able to find him."

Jim sighed. "Why doesn't the widow go there herself? She's got men enough to do it, I assume."

Mal shook his head. "All part of her twisted little mind-game, I conjure. Sort of a punishment for me for harborin' an enemy of hers."

"But we didn't 'harbor' him," Jim spat out. "Hundan stowed away. What were we supposed to do?"

"'Cordin' to the Widow's way of thinkin', we should have turned him over to her forthwith."

Jim took another long drink. "Then why didn't we?" he asked bitterly.

Mal shook his head slowly. "Been askin' myself the same question," he answered. "Guess I just didn't want to have to deal with it. Not every deal we've done with Badger has been a total disaster, and I s'pose it just didn't set well with me to think of handin' him over to her, knowing what she was like to do with 'im."

"And now?" Jim asked.

Mal poured himself another shot. "And now, things are different," he said finally. "Can't think of anything right off the top of my head that I wouldn't do for Zoe."

"Me neither," Jim said, staring at Mal intently.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe sat up carefully and gingerly touched her forehead. Pulling her hand back, she saw that the wound just above her right eyebrow was still oozing with blood. Tearing another small strip of material from her shirt hem, she dabbed at it gently. At least this time when she woke up she could see, she thought wryly, looking over at the small pile of bloody shirt strips.

Like most head wounds, the cut had bled profusely, leaking down into her eyes and effectively blinding her for a time. But she was beginning to hope that the wound was not as severe as she had imagined, now that some time had passed. Her raging headache had subsided into a dull throb, and now that the blood was no longer flowing quite so freely, she felt somewhat better.

She looked around the room carefully. There was very little to see, as her captors had not bothered to leave her with any light. So, the only illumination came from under the locked door. She could barely make out the dimensions of her prison, but what she could see led her to conjecture that the room had once been little more than a closet of sorts. Unlike the typical supply closet however, this room had been outfitted with iron rings embedded into the floor and walls, held firmly by large bolts. Zoe's feet were currently chained to one of such rings, secured with what looked to be a rather complicated system of chains and locks. A single thick chain ran from her ankles up to her waist, held by a belt of some sort which she assumed must fasten in the back. From her waist, the chain locked into a set of cuffs. Pleased at least that she could move her hands a little more than a regular set of handcuffs would have allowed, she tested the limits of her cell as quietly as possible. Feeling carefully along each inch that she could reach, she found nothing that she thought might improve her situation in the slightest.

But Zoe was a patient woman and she knew that eventually, a chance for escape would present itself. She leaned back against the cold steel of the wall to wait.

XXXXXXXXXX

"She's secure, and she's awake," Woodward reported to Mrs. Niska. "Now what?"

Mrs. Niska smiled. "Now you bring her to me. I have the distinct impression that Captain Reynolds is going to come here, guns blazing and full of righteous indignation. I wouldn't want him to be disappointed."

Woodward sighed. "You do realize that it will take us more than a week to get to Ezra?"

Mrs. Niska's smile faded. "If I require an astronomy lesson, Mr. Woodward, I will let you know. In the meantime, bring her to me per my very clear instructions. And be sure that you get here without incident. Dong ma?"

Woodward nodded. "Until we can deliver her, what do you want us to do with her?"

"If she is secure, let her be," Mrs. Niska said. "Give her one meal a day, and some water. No need to be inhumane."

"Of course," Woodward said, though inwardly he thought how ironic it was that she should mention inhumanity. He had worked for the Widow Niska long enough to realize how brutally the prisoner was likely to be treated once he delivered her. However, that was not his problem, he thought tiredly. His job was to keep the widow happy. And if doing that meant delivering the woman in his hold to a special level of hell, it was really none of his concern.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara went through her day like an automaton, her mind and heart with the crew of Serenity. She had agreed to that, until such time as the tribunal came to a decision, she would teach the youngest of the children at the Training House some of the more basic lessons, such as proper table etiquette, general health and hygiene, and beginner's dance. These courses required nothing of her mentally, and she was free to worry about Zoe in earnest.

When blessedly she had finished the last of the classes for the day, she walked slowly back to her suite. Her intent was to perhaps eat a light meal, read a bit, and then spend the rest of her evening meditating to relieve some of the stress that was weighing so heavily on her heart. But, looking down the corridor as she approached her rooms, she saw that her plans were to be interrupted. "Good evening, Mistress," she said in as pleasant a tone as she could muster.

"Good evening, Inara," the House Mistress replied. "I had hoped to find you unoccupied. We have matters to discuss."

Inara suppressed a sigh. "If you are referring to our conversation yesterday, I can think of nothing new to add. I believe I was quite clear."

The House Mistress smiled a thin smile, and Inara felt unaccountably concerned. "I would advise you to hear me out, Inara," she said sweetly. "Certain things have come to light, things that I feel have a great bearing on the disposition of your petition."

Inara opened her door slowly, motioning the House Mistress into the rooms ahead of her. "What kind of things?" she asked as lightly as she could manage.

"You forget your manners, Inara," the House Mistress chided. "You've not even offered me a seat, nor any refreshments. Surely you can't have forgotten the most basic of courtesies in your time in the Black."

This time Inara could not suppress her sigh. "Of course, you are most welcome to sit down, Mistress. And I'll prepare some tea immediately."

"Don't bother with the tea," the older woman said, sitting down with a self-satisfied air. "A cookie would be sufficient. I have a taste for something sweet."

Inara rummaged around in her cabinets, finding a box of tea biscuits which she hoped were not stale. Arranging them quickly on a plate, she offered it to the other woman. The House Mistress took a small portion, and held it delicately in her bony hand. Drawing a small recording device out of her pocket with the other hand, she handed it to Inara.

"Perhaps you'd like to listen to this while I eat," she said blandly.

Inara's hand shook slightly as she took the small device. Though she had no idea what she was about to hear, the demeanor of the House Mistress was setting off every alarm Inara had. Pressing the play button, she sat back to listen. To her dismay, the voice she first heard was her own, and the words were all too familiar. Then, Jayne's voice filtered into the room, and Inara closed her eyes. She sat stock still, listening to every last agonizing minute of the recording. When the words gave way to static, she turned the recorder off and looked at the House Mistress with as much dignity as she could. "I was not aware that the Training House had become a place for spying on one's personal communications," she said carefully.

The House Mistress chewed thoughtfully on her cookie. "It generally is not," she said. "However, you left me little choice in the matter, Inara. I begged you to confide the real reason for your petition, repeatedly in point of fact. When you so stubbornly refused, I was left with no recourse except subterfuge. And I was proven to be correct in my assumption that you were not being completely honest with the tribunal."

Her pulse pounding in her ears, Inara answered steadily, "And what exactly are you planning to do with your ill-gotten knowledge?" she asked.

The House Mistress delicately picked up another cookie. "I am not sure just yet how it would be best to proceed," she admitted. "But I believe the best course would certainly involve revealing this illicit relationship of yours to my colleagues." She paused briefly, looking at Inara intently. "Unless you can provide me with a compelling reason not to."

"What are you asking me to do?" Inara asked plainly.

"Why, my dear, I'm not asking you to do anything," the House Mistress said, pretending surprise. "Rather, I am interested in discovering what it is you would be willing to do."

Inara swallowed thickly, her mind reeling with indecision. "I…I need some time to….meditate on the situation," she said finally.

The smile of the House Mistress was predatory. "Of course," she said, rising gracefully from the chair. "I will leave you to your meditations, then. But be warned, Inara. I will not wait for your answer forever."

"I understand," Inara said, leading her to the door with a heavy heart.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal watched Newhall looming larger by the minute in the window. Jim stood over his shoulder, the tension radiating off of him enough to give even the most steely of men a case of jitters.

"It's the middle of the night on Newhall," Mal said. "Best we just dock and wait 'til sunrise to start looking."

Jim walked to the co-pilot's chair and sat down heavily. "Don't think I can wait," he said seriously.

Mal scowled at him. "Look, we can't be goin' into this half-cocked. I know you need to get to Zoe soon's you can, and believe me, I feel the same way. But if we go into the settlement makin' a lot of fuss, Badger'll hole up and we'll be longer findin' him. Now, I ain't got the time to spare, and neither does Zoe. So, if you can't pull yourself together on this, you'd best tell me right now."

Jim drew a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. "I'm fine," he answered tersely.

"You don't look fine," Mal replied evenly. "Look like a man 'bout two seconds away from a major explosion. I got no problem with locking you in one of the passenger dorms 'til we find Badger. Dong ma?"

Jim nodded shortly. "Won't be a need for that, Captain. I'll do as you say."

"Good," Mal answered. "Then what I say for now is to go to your bunk and get some rest. Tomorrow's like to be a long day."

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	11. Chapter 11

**Black Widow**

**Part XI—Badger-Hunting**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Inara and Zoe try to work their way out of their separate cages, and Mal goes hunting for Badger.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara sat up long into the night considering the position in which she found herself. She had known when she made her petition that the House Mistress would do anything in her power to block a smooth resignation for her. But, she thought wryly, perhaps she had underestimated the depth of the woman's commitment to her goal. Try as she might to come up with other options, only two seemed to be viable ones. She could, of course, play into the hands of the House Mistress and offer the woman whatever she asked for her silence. But Inara had a suspicion that the price the House Mistress was going to require might be far worse than whatever the tribunal would impose publicly. So, her other option seemed the best one by far.

Once she decided, Inara felt an icy calm drift over her and she fell into an almost peaceful sleep, knowing that she would need every bit of strength she could muster in the morning. Declawing a predator was always a tricky proposition, even when one had the upper hand. And Inara knew that she had no such advantage. But, she had trained well for her position, and she was now prepared to use the weapons at her disposal in whatever way would bring her the desired outcome.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe squinted in the sudden light that flooded the room when the door was opened. A man entered, carrying a tray with a cup of water and some sort of mush in a cracked bowl. Setting it wordlessly at Zoe's feet, he shut the door, leaving her once again in darkness.

Zoe eased the tray onto her lap and picked up the spoon. From what little she could see, the man was the same one who had come the night before with water. Because she was being kept in near total darkness, her eyes were not able to adjust to the sudden light quickly enough each time the door opened and, before she could manage it, the door was always closed again. Frustrated by her inability to gather any more information about her captors, she stabbed angrily at the mush and ate it with irritation.

Slamming the tray down beside her when she was done, she heard the now empty bowl shatter. Feeling carefully along the perimeters of the tray, she found a sharp sliver of ceramic, which she quickly wrapped in one of the bloody strips of cloth that her captors had left piled in her prison. Slipping it into the top of her boot, she felt somewhat better. She eagerly searched the tray for anything else she might use, but was disappointed to find nothing else of value. Within minutes, the door opened again and the same man picked up the tray and left without a word. Sighing, Zoe sat back against the wall and waited.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal had spent the better part of the morning searching through the seediest section of the Newhall settlement. Figuring that any contacts Badger had would be found in such surroundings, he was beginning to wonder if that assumption was incorrect. Every discreet inquiry he made in every disreputable business establishment he came to garnered him no useful information and he could see that their lack of progress was beginning to weigh heavily on Jim.

He had sent Jayne in a different direction to search, but he wanted Jim close by, afraid that the man would do something rash if he didn't keep a wary eye on him. "Try not to look quite so fierce in the next place," he said quietly as the two walked through a narrow alleyway. "Folks don't take too kindly to a man comes in lookin' like he'd just as soon shoot as talk."

"Sorry," Jim said, grinding his teeth. "Just a little wound up."

"I can see that," Mal said. "But even when we find the little hundan, I want you to let me do all the talkin'. I ain't aimin' to make more of a fuss than we have to. Dong ma?"

Jim nodded shortly, and Mal pushed open the door of the little tavern at the end of the alleyway. Stepping into the dim interior, he waited for a moment for his eyes to adjust and then made his slow way to the bar.

The bartender looked at him desultorily. "What'll it be?" he asked.

"Two whiskeys," Mal replied, laying the appropriate coin on the bar.

Reaching out with the economy of a gunfighter, Jim downed his whiskey in a long gulp. "Friend looks mighty….thirsty," the bartender observed.

Mal laid down another coin. "S'pose he is," he said easily. "We've been travelin' the better part of the mornin'. Makes a man near to parched."

"Ain't seen you in here before," the bartender said, warming to his new customers.

"Ain't been here before," Mal answered. "Just here lookin' for an acquaintance of ours, name of Badger. Dropped him off in Newhall a few days ago, and ain't heard from him since."

The bartender eyed Mal warily. "Told you he'd wave, did he?"

"Not in so many words," Mal said, grinning widely. "Just thought he might. Thought he might need a ride back where he came from."

"And where was that, exactly?" the bartender asked by way of a test.

"Why, Persephone, of course," Mal answered, feigning surprise at the question. "He's a big businessman there, sure enough. Even done some business with him myself, time or two."

The bartender sniffed. "If he's such a big man on Persephone, why's he tryin' to get a slice of the pie here?"

Mal's eyebrows rose dramatically. "Don't tell me he's tryin' to horn in on your business?"

"Not mine," the bartender said, leaning forward conspiratorially. "But I've heard tell he was after One-Eye's business. Rumor has it he went in there a few days ago, and ain't come out yet."

Mal's heart dropped into his stomach. Of all the possible problems he'd thought of, he had not considered the fact that it was quite possible Badger may have walked into a situation that got him corpsified. And somehow Mal thought that the Widow Niska would not accept a dead Badger in exchange for a live Zoe.

Glancing quickly at Jim, he saw that the same sickening thought was running through the poor man's mind. "Mind tellin' me where I could find this One-Eye?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"Runs a whorehouse two streets down called the Kitten Club," the bartender replied. "But I wouldn't advise just waltzin' in. 'Cordin' to the word on the street, the atmosphere's a little thick in there just now, if you know what I mean."

Mal laid a few more coins on the bar and drained his glass. "'Preciate the warnin', friend," he said, motioning Jim to come with him.

"Weren't nothin'," the bartender said, picking up the now empty glasses and wiping the bar as he watched them leave.

XXXXXXXXXX

Once outside the tavern, Mal contacted Jayne. As they waited for Jayne to meet them, Mal and Jim stood under the shade of the one pitiful tree on the block. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Jim asked after a long moment of silence.

"Not sure. What are you thinkin'?" Mal asked.

"That the stupid hundan has gotten himself killed and therefore destroyed our bargaining chip," Jim said tightly.

"Maybehaps not," Mal said. "Badger has somehow stayed alive despite his personality for a long time among some fairly rough types. Could be he's fine as a fiddle and living like a king among a bevy of whores."

Jayne appeared shortly and the three men headed toward the Kitten Club. "You ever been here before?" Mal asked Jayne as they approached the entrance.

Jayne looked at the building for a moment. "Yeah, think I have," he said. ''Course, it's been a long time ago, but the place still looks about the same."

"Anything we should know before we go in?" Mal asked.

Jayne shrugged. "Pretty standard stuff. Coupla' gun hands on the ground floor, as I recall, just to keep things orderly. Bar off to the left, and rooms upstairs."

Mal nodded, giving Jim one last warning look before they entered. "Look sharp, but let me do the talkin'."

Jim nodded his understanding, and the three men entered the Kitten Club.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaylee watched Simon worriedly. Though she was still feeling somewhat drained from the aftereffects of the tranquilizer dart, Simon seemed much worse off to her. The lump over his brow was still a deep purple, and the accompanying bruise had now spread to cover most of the right side of his face.

"I'm fine, Kaylee," he said for the hundredth time. "You don't have to watch me every minute."

"Maybe I'm just watchin' ya' on accounta' how handsome you are," she said, pulling her lips into a smile and wrapping her arms around his midsection.

Simon snorted, though it made his head hurt. "Yes, I'm the poster boy for outlaws everywhere, now that I have a purple face."

"Well, you look good to me," Kaylee said kindly. "Only I notice you keep takin' those pain pills like they're candy."

Simon disentangled himself from her. "It's all right, Kaylee. I know how much to take without harming myself. And I need to be able to function if anyone comes back injured. I can't do that if I'm out of my head with pain."

Kaylee nodded. "I know. But I'm just worried about you, is all. You seem a mite…." She paused, trying to find the right word.

Simon leaned to kiss her forehead gently. "I'm fine, ai ren. Nothing time won't cure. I'm sure my headache will subside after a bit. And then I won't need the medication."

Kaylee basked in the soft glow of his smile and resolved to keep her worries to herself.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Any news from Captain Reynolds?" Theodora Niska asked the thin man as she entered her study.

"Nothing," he replied calmly. "I would imagine that he might be having a hard time finding our elusive enemy."

"More's the pity for him, then," Mrs. Niska sniffed. "The Washburne woman will be here within the week, and the longer Reynolds keeps me waiting, the more likely I am to find something to occupy my mind. It occurs to me that I haven't even been down to my late husband's little room since the day after his murder. It could be that I might like to see it again."

The thin man looked at her neutrally. "It can, of course, be readied for use at your word."

The old woman smiled thinly. "See to it."

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal squinted in the din light of the Kitten Club. But it was virtually impossible to make out anything but vague shapes as he stood in the entrance. Walking further into the establishment, he could barely see any better. Jim and Jayne flanking him on either side, he walked up to a small, scantily clad young woman who was manning what he assumed was a sort of hostess station. "Pardon me, miss," he said, smiling easily. "I'd like to see the owner of this fine establishment."

The young woman's smile froze as she looked at him intently. "Do you have an appointment?" she finally managed.

"No," Mal said, smiling even wider. "But I'm fair certain he'll be interested in seeing me."

The young woman swallowed nervously and looked toward the two men standing by the exit. As the men began to walk slowly toward them, Jim and Jayne both fingered their holstered weapons idly. Mal tried again. "Before your companions get over here, maybehaps you'd just do me the courtesy of checkin' with the owner to see if he's free."

Wavering between waiting for the men and doing what the nice-looking man in front of her was asking so politely, she stood frozen for a moment more. Making her decision, she held up her hands and stopped the progress of the two armed men. "Wait right here," she said, offering Mal a tentative smile. "I'll just go check."

"I'd take it as a kindness," Mal said calmly.

As they waited, Mal looked around the room. Draped over several over-stuffed pieces of furniture were barely dressed women of every shape and size. Thinking wryly that One-Eye certainly understood the appeal of diversity, he noticed that neither Jayne nor Jim seemed even aware of the women. Jim he could understand, being as how he was in a state over Zoe's abduction, but Mal had to admit a little surprise that Jayne was not at least looking at the women. Realizing for the first time how very much his mercenary had been changed by Inara, he smiled at his mercenary.

"What?" Jayne asked, looking at him irritably.

Mal shrugged. "Just thought you might be enjoying the scenery."

Jayne snorted. "Would be like orderin' ground beef when you got steak at home."

"Eloquently spoken," Mal said dryly. 'Who knew you were such a romantic?"

Jayne was prevented from answering by the small woman's return. "Boss says he can spare a minute or two for you," she said. "But you have to leave your guns with me." She smiled apologetically.

Mal nodded, handing her his weapon and motioning Jim and Jayne to do the same. When she had collected them, she said sweetly, "If you'll just follow me, please."

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	12. Chapter 12

**Black Widow**

**Part XII—Power Plays**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Inara makes her move, and Mal meets the owner of the Kitten Club.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara sat with her hands folded serenely in her lap, facing the three empty seats before her. One by one, the members of the tribunal filed in and took their places. The House Mistress, seated directly in front of Inara, looked at her with thinly veiled irritation, while the other two women simply looked somewhat perplexed.

Inara smiled pleasantly, pleased that her heart had not begun to hammer wildly at the sight of the House Mistress as it had on previous occasions. "I know that you all must be wondering why I have requested yet another meeting," she began, her voice perfectly modulated for the small room.

The House Mistress, fairly certain that Inara was about to ruin her own plans, said coldly, "It is most unusual for a second meeting to take place. If you are here to ask for an immediate decision, I am afraid you're wasting your time."

Inara smiled sweetly. "No, House Mistress, I am not here to put any pressure on the council to make a decision. I believe that pressuring a fellow Companion for any reason would be ….unseemly. Don't you?" He voice held the barest hint of steel.

The House Mistress pursed her lips irritably, knowing the barb was directed squarely at her. "Then please enlighten us, Inara. Why are we here?"

Inara took a moment to breathe deeply and then began. "Since I made my original petition, I have had quite a bit of time to think about what I said in these chambers. And after self-examination, I have to admit that I was not completely honest with this tribunal." She paused, looking sweetly at the House Mistress. "In the interest of full disclosure, I thought it necessary to reveal my other reasons for requesting an early retirement."

Her lips drawn into a thin line, the House Mistress stared at Inara, seeing her advantage over the younger woman about to disappear. She had assumed, incorrectly, that Inara would not come forward of her own accord with the sordid details of her relationship with Serenity's mercenary and that she would be able to extort almost anything from the woman in exchange for her silence. Her bony fingers clenched into fists under the table, she listened as Inara destroyed her plans in honeyed tones.

"As you are aware, I was brutally attacked by an ex-client some time ago," Inara said, swallowing thickly at the memory. "I had to have counseling for some time, and in that time, I became quite close to one of the crewmembers with whom I spent a great deal of time. His name is Jayne Cobb, and he is Serenity's …public relations officer."

"A mercenary, you mean," the House Mistress said coldly.

"He is of course compensated for providing security to the crew of Serenity, if that is what you mean," Inara said smoothly, smiling at the two women on either side of the House Mistress. "As I was saying, Mr. Cobb and I, through a set of unusual circumstances, were quite often together. And in that time, I came to find that he is an extraordinary man, a man of compassion, and a truly wonderful companion. Quite frankly, I found that he was an anchor for me in a time when I was drifting desperately. "

The woman to the right of the House Mistress smiled sympathetically. "It is understandable that you might be temporarily drawn to a strong protector after your trauma."

Inara nodded. "For many months, I thought that was all that existed between us. It seemed the only logical reason that a woman of my training would be drawn to a man like Mr. Cobb. But in that assumption, I was deluding myself." She paused for a moment, making direct eye contact with the woman who had spoken sympathetically. "As I regained my emotional equilibrium, I discovered that there was much more to my feelings for than simply gratitude for his protection or a need for security. What I felt for him, and still feel, is love."

The House Mistress smiled as the women on either side of her gasped. Finally, the woman who'd spoken earlier said, "Inara, child, how can you be sure of such a thing? The heart is a treacherous thing, my dear. And a true Companion has schooled her heart to avoid these kinds of complications. Surely you simply need some time to reconsider your position."

"Believe me when I say that I have spent innumerable hours trying to convince myself of what you're saying," Inara said calmly. "I'm sorry to admit that I tried to simply ignore my feelings for him for a long time. But I cannot ignore them. Nor can I ignore his feelings for me."

"And this man wishes you to stop servicing clients?" the woman to the left asked stiffly.

"He has made no such demands on me," Inara said proudly. "Mr. Cobb is a pragmatic man. He understands that I trained for many years to be a Companion, and feels that I should pursue any course I deem acceptable. But the simple truth is that I can no longer maintain the standard of service that my clients were used to. I did not lie when I stated as much to you in our first meeting."

"Why did you not simply initiate proceedings to have this Cobb person sanctioned by the Guild as your life partner?" the House Mistress asked, hoping to rattle Inara's calm demeanor.

"Because it was not abundantly clear to me why Mr. Cobb should have to submit to procedures which I find to be insufferably antiquated," Inara answered. "I, as a Guild member, have agreed to abide by such guidelines, no matter how ridiculous and restrictive I find them. But I will not ask Mr. Cobb to do so."

The woman to the right looked at Inara sadly. "So, am I to assume that you and Mr. Cobb have been intimate for some time?"

"Yes," Inara said, a faint flush rising to her cheeks.

"Without Guild approval and against the regulations you swore to uphold when you were a novice," the House Mistress said harshly.

"It is the only part of this that I regret," Inara answered honestly. "I should have requested retirement the moment I realized my true feelings for Mr. Cobb, thus keeping my word to the Guild. I am of course willing to accept whatever sanctions you impose for the infraction."

The House Mistress sat quietly for a moment, her mind working furiously to find some way to turn the tide back to her advantage. By coming forward so honestly with the other two women, Inara had robbed her of the power in the situation. So, she chose the only recourse open to her. "And what may I ask caused you to come forward with this damning information at this late date?" she asked, challenging Inara with her steely eyes.

Inara looked at her calmly. "Why, you did, Mistress," she said, pausing and giving the House Mistress one startled moment to wonder if the younger woman would reveal how she had taped her private communications. Inara continued smoothly. "When I made my petition, you stated quite clearly that you thought there had to be additional reasons for my request."

The House Mistress drew in a deep breath and unclenched her fists under the table. "Very well, Inara. I am of course quite pleased that you have unburdened yourself to us. Obviously, your…indiscretion will have to be taken into account when we render a decision."

Inara nodded. "I am well aware of that, Mistress," she said.

The woman to the right smiled encouragingly at Inara. "I see no reason we cannot put an end to this matter fairly quickly. It would seem that we simply need to arrive at reasonable terms of dismissal from the Guild at this point. Perhaps you will be able to return to your home soon."

Inara's smile lit the chambers. "I will of course abide by whatever you deem appropriate."

"Go on, child," the woman replied. "Your students are waiting for you by now, I'm sure."

Inara nodded and stood gracefully to go, leaving the House Mistress fuming in anger behind her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal followed the small woman through a labyrinth of corridors, with Jayne and Jim close behind. Thinking uneasily that he hoped they did not have to make a speedy retreat considering the twists and turns through which they were being led, Mal considered how much better he would feel with his gun strapped to his leg. Just as he was beginning to wonder if there was an end to the maze, the corridor opened into an office, complete with a rather expensive piece of carpeting and a huge old desk that looked as if it might be made of actual wood.

A small puff of smoke rose from the desk chair, which was currently turned toward a small window which looked out over a dusty landscape. The young woman cleared her throat nervously. "They're here, sir," she said quietly before easing out of the room as quickly as she could.

Mal's mouth fell open in surprise as the chair turned around and the occupant was revealed. "Well, if it isn't my old chum, Captain Reynolds. Come to wish me well, did you?" Badger said, grinning widely and puffing on a cigar.

"Have to say I was expectin' to be talkin' to a fellow missin' an eye," Mal said, regaining some measure of composure.

Badger nodded thoughtfully. "Let's just say that we just didn't see eye to eye, if you get my meaning," he said. "Seems One-Eye didn't remember 'ow I set up 'is li'l business for 'im a few years back. Decided 'e'd go it alone and try to run it without the benefit of my expertise. Couldn't 'ave that, now could I?"

"S'pose not," Mal answered. "So where's One-Eye now?"

Badger gestured vaguely to the window. "Under the garden. Figured to let 'im 'elp fertilize the soil out there. Not much of a garden as it stands. Maybe next year." He smiled slowly.

"So, you're setting up shop here then?" Mal asked. "Not going back to Persephone?"

Badger rubbed his stubbled chin slowly. "Newhall isn't big enough to 'ouse my whole operation," he said. "Just a little stop along the way. I'll get back to Persephone when I'm ready."

Mal glanced at Jim, who looked as if he was about to burst out of his skin at any moment. Giving him a warning look, he turned back to Badger. "Seems you've still got the problem of the Widow on your back."

Badger blanched slightly before regaining his composure. "That old shrew will not be a problem, as soon as I marshal my men."

"So, you intend to take her out, do you?" Mal asked.

"Sure, in my own time," Badger said evasively.

"What about now?" Mal said, leaning his hands on the desk. "Suppose I had a way for you to get into the Skyplex. You got enough men to take her down?"

Badger sat back in his chair, his expression a mixture of interest and incredulity. "You saying you want to 'elp a gent take 'er down? What's your interest?"

Mal pulled up a chair and sat down as if he'd been invited. "Let's just say she's got something that belongs to me, and I aim to get it back."

Badger frowned. "I'll be needing more than that, Captain Reynolds. It 'asn't slipped my agile mind that she offered you a ridiculous amount of coin to turn me in. Why should I believe you?"

Mal shrugged. "Believe or not, as you like. But I'm offering you the opportunity to eliminate your most powerful enemy. And believe this. It's a one-time offer only."

"And what would you be needing in return?" Badger asked warily.

Mal sat back as if he was seriously thinking about the question. "A percentage of course," he said finally. "After I help you get in and retrieve what's mine, I'd say thirty percent of her operations seems fair."

Badger shuffled papers on his desk to have something to do with his hands. "Thirty percent of the Widow's stuff right now, or an ongoing partnership?"

"Don't believe I want to partner with you permanent-like," Mal replied smoothly. "How about thirty percent of what's there now, and for the next, say, two years? If you can hold onto it that long without me, you deserve it all. But there's one stipulation."

"Imagine that," Badger said dryly.

"You leave Easy alone for those two years, 'less he comes gunning for you," Mal said.

Badger shrugged. "Shouldn't be a problem. I expect 'im to get killed by one of 'is contacts any time. 'e's not got the 'eart for the business."

"Be that as it may, that's what I require," Mal said.

Badger rubbed his chin. "Thirty percent sounds like a lot to me."

Mal stood up abruptly. "Fine," he said. "You want to be stingy, I'll take my offer elsewhere. The Widow has no shortage of enemies I can choose from."

Badger rose quickly and came around the desk, catching Mal's elbow as he turned to go. "Don't be so touchy, mate," he said quickly. "A businessman such as myself needs a moment to consider all 'is options, you know?"

Mal made a great show of being persuaded to sit back down. Folding his arms across his chest, he said, "Thirty is the least I'll take."

Badger tapped his finger on the desktop for several minutes, looking steadily at Mal the entire time. "Doesn't seem your style, if you don't mind me saying," he said finally.

Mal sighed. "She's got Zoe," he said quietly.

Badger's face lit with understanding. "Ah," he said. "Why didn't you say so? That I can understand." Lighting another cigar, he puffed for a few minutes more. "So, what's the plan?" he asked.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe looked around quickly in the tiny bathroom for anything that she might use. Three times a day she'd been allowed in here, and each day she chose another little area to study in her brief minutes. Finally, on the third day, she smiled in the tiny mirror as she found what she sought. Unraveling the small piece of wiring from under the sink, she straightened it as well as she could and stuck it quickly into her hair. Then, washing her hands, she waited to be returned to her cell.

XXXXXXXXXX

"There's a wave for you," the thin man said, stepping lightly into Mrs. Niska's study.

"Send it in here," she replied, settling herself in front of the terminal and wiping her glasses before perching them on her button nose.

She was surprised to see an elegantly attired older woman looking back at her. "Mrs. Theodora Niska, I presume?" the woman asked, her voice perfectly modulated.

"Yes, I am," the widow replied. "And you are?"

"My name is of no concern," the woman said dismissively. "But I believe you may find what I say to be of considerable interest. It has come to my attention, quite by accident, that one of your…agents has been spying on the goings on of House Madrassa of Sihnon."

Mrs. Niska frowned. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. I would never entangle myself in the Guild's affairs."

"I'm quite sure you wouldn't," the other woman replied. "My sources indicate that it was not the House itself in which your man was interested. It seems he was following a woman named Inara Serra and one of her companions. I thought you would perhaps like to know that Miss Serra is not going to be at House Madrassa for much longer. It is my understanding that she will be asked to leave within the next day or so."

"Why would you tell me this?" Mrs. Niska asked warily.

"Let us just say that it would be…gratifying to me to know that Miss Serra would be….taken care of when she leaves House Madrassa," the woman said, smiling coldly.

"I see," Mrs. Niska said. "I'm not altogether sure why you think this has anything to do with me, but thank you for your…concern."

"You are most welcome," the House Mistress said, nodding slightly before cutting the transmission. Leaning back in her chair, she allowed herself a small smile of victory.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	13. Chapter 13

**Black Widow**

**Part XIII—Waves**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Badger and his men come aboard Serenity, and Mal gets to talk to Zoe.

XXXXXXXXXX

The Widow Niska tapped her finger against her teeth thoughtfully. "It would seem that fate has delivered another hostage into my hands," she said.

The thin man nodded. "Do you really think another is needed?"

She looked at him sharply. "It never hurts to have a back up," she said shortly. "How far is Woodward from Sihnon now?"

The thin man thought for a moment. "Should be no more than a few hours from there now, if he goes to a full burn."

The widow smiled. "Wave him and tell him to go immediately. I'll tell our contact on Sihnon to keep Miss Serra in sight. No need not to pick her up as soon as she leaves the Guild House."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Badger and the men he'd inherited from One-Eye's operation filed into Serenity's cargo bay, where Mal had instructed that they were to stay at all times until Serenity got to Mrs. Niska's Skyplex. Setting Jayne up with the first watch over them, Mal pulled Badger aside. "You sure these people are gonna follow your orders?"

Badger smiled. "Think they understand right enough what I'll do if they don't," he said. "I wasn't too subtle with One-Eye, after all."

"Good point," Mal said wryly. "In that case, come with me. We got a wave to make. But first…" He pulled back and punched Badger, bloodying his nose and giving him what would soon be an impressive bruise on his cheek.

"'oly mother of God," Badger said, holding his nose gently. "Coulda' pulled that punch a bit, mate."

"Coulda'," Mal said easily. "But then again, seein' as how you stowing away on my boat is now causing me some trouble, I decided not to. Besides, we want it to look good for the Widow, don't we?"

Badger glared at him, but followed him silently to the bridge. River smiled as they entered. "Hello," she said calmly, looking at Badger's new bloodied nose.

"Too much?" Mal asked, grinning.

"Looks right to me," River said, returning his grin as she produced a set of handcuffs. "Please put these on," she said sweetly to Badger.

Badger scowled, but complied. Mal sat down in the pilot's chair and placed Badger strategically beside him. River stood behind the seat. Initiating the wave to the Widow, Mal said quietly, "Remember the plan, Badger. No deviation. Dong ma?"

Badger nodded, putting on a look of resigned helplessness. In a moment, Mrs. Niska appeared on the screen. Taking in the sight before her, she smiled. "I see you were successful, Captain Reynolds. My compliments."

"Yeah, thanks," Mal said shortly. "Now let me see Zoe."

Mrs. Niska frowned. "You'll have to give me a few minutes. She'll have to be…prepared."

Mal gritted his teeth. "I know she ain't on your Skyplex yet. Got to still be en route from where we found the shuttle. Just patch me in to the ship where she's being held."

"Patience, Captain," Mrs. Niska said, shaking her head. "You young people have no patience."

Mal jerked Badger forward, giving Mrs. Niska a better look at his bloody face. "Does this look like I'm a patient man?" Mal asked.

Mrs. Niska smiled brightly. "No it does not. Though I must say that in this particular instance, that does not bother me in the slightest. Had you agreed to work with me willingly, Captain, I believe we would have done excellent work together."

"Just show me Zoe. I got exactly no interest in working with you."

The screen went blank for several minutes as the Widow contacted Woodward's ship. "The bitch didn't even say a word to me," Badger said, affronted by the slight.

"I conjure she anticipates saying quite a bit to you when you're strung up in her husband's playroom again," Mal said wryly.

Badger could not quite contain his shudder. "No need to bring up such as that," he said quickly.

"Good thing to remember whilst we do this thing," Mal said, as the screen began to coalesce again.

"Put the woman on the screen," Mal heard the widow say just before Zoe was roughly pushed into sight.

"Zoe," Mal said, his throat tightening as he observed the cut crusted over with blood on her forehead. "You all right?"

"Fine, sir," Zoe said blandly. "Though I was a little disturbed to find out a few minutes ago that I am apparently on the way to Niska's Skyplex."

Mal nodded. "S'all right. We're trading Badger here for you."

Zoe raised the eyebrow unaffected by the cut. "That a fact?" she asked, looking at Mal intently. "Badger in exchange for me."

"Something like that," Mal answered, returning her steady gaze.

Someone offscreen jerked Zoe unceremoniously out of the frame and, in a moment, her face was replaced by Mrs. Niska's. "Does that satisfy you for now, Captain Reynolds?"

"She'd best look as good, or better, than she looks right now when we get to her," Mal said, the fierceness in his tone making Badger shift uncomfortably beside him.

"You worry about getting here with Badger, Mr. Reynolds," the widow said coldly. "I'll worry about Mrs. Washburne. And just so you know, I don't care how he looks when he gets here, as long as he's alive." Her smile chilled Badger to the bone as she cut the transmission.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara stood in her room, momentarily frozen in thought as she packed her belongings. The tribunal had reconvened in the early morning hours, summoning her from her first class of the day to give her the verdict. Though they had stopped short of stripping her of the normal rights of a Companion who retires in good standing with the Guild, their monetary penalties had been excessively steep. By Inara's best estimate, if she sold everything she owned and gave the Guild the entire amount, she would still be several thousand credits short of paying her way out of the debt they were imposing.

She sighed, resuming her packing and thinking that at least they had left her with some means of repaying her debt by allowing her to retire with her standing intact. As a former Companion, she would still be allowed to use the contacts she had built over her years of service to find some suitable form of employment. And she would have to find such employment soon, as the tribunal had also stipulated a rigid payment schedule to which she had no choice but to agree. The House Mistress had made it quite plain that if she did not agree to the schedule as it stood, the Guild would require that she remain at House Madrassa working off her debt by teaching as well as servicing clients of their choosing. Inara, all too aware of the kind of clients the House Mistress would no doubt choose for her, agreed readily to the payment stipulation. As for the money, she'd just have to come up with it somewhere, she thought tiredly.

But even with the burden of repayment hanging over her head, Inara felt a strange freedom that she had not anticipated feeling. She had always envisioned leaving the Guild as an ordeal that would leave her feeling bereft, but instead she felt unaccountably light with the knowledge that when next she saw Jayne, it would be as a woman free to love him without impediment. Somehow the loss of the life she had known did not seem so great when viewed in the light of such a new beginning.

Fortified with those thoughts, she finished her packing quickly. Calling for the last time on the staff of the Guild House, she sent her bags to the hovercraft which waited outside to take her to a hotel in the city, where she intended to wave Jayne with the good news.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe sat in her prison thinking about what she'd learned. Obviously, knowing that she was en route to Mrs. Niska gave Zoe added reason to find a means of escape sooner rather than later. Pushed along quickly through the ship as she had been taken to the Cortex link, she had observed about ten different men in various areas of the ship. She wondered if there were others, and thought that it was safe to assume there were. What, after all, were the odds that she would have glimpsed all of them in the whirlwind trip she'd taken? she thought practically.

However, the good news was that she had noticed that about half of the men had worn no weapons that she could see, meaning that perhaps if she could take them unawares, they would be unable to defend themselves quickly. The man who came to leave her food and water was heavily armed, but that was to be expected, seeing as how he was dealing directly with a prisoner. Zoe had no doubt she could handle one armed man easily enough, given the right set of circumstances.

As she plotted her escape, she felt a change in the ship's speed and she recognized the small change in the gravity that usually accompanied a course adjustment as well. Filing that thought away, she pulled the small piece of wire from her hair and began to work on the system of locks holding her to the floor.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara frowned as she looked out the window of the hovercraft. "Excuse me," she said to the driver. "I believe we're headed in the wrong direction. I am going to the Hotel Martinique." When the driver did not respond, Inara began to feel uneasy. "Sir," she tried again, speaking a little more loudly, "I believe we've missed our turn."

The driver turned to look at her with a glint of something in his eye that made Inara's heart race uncomfortably. "Just following orders, ma'am," he said, turning back to the forward window.

"Whose orders?" Inara asked quietly.

"The orders of Mrs, Theodora Niska," he replied, sending a spike of genuine fear down Inara's spine.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Come to bed, honey," Kaylee said, putting Daniel into his crib and smiling invitingly at Simon.

"Not sleepy just yet," Simon said, fidgeting with one of the drawers in their bunk.

"All the better," Kaylee said, her voice suddenly sultry. "Daniel's knocked out for the night, and we've got some time…" She let her voice trail off enticingly.

Simon glanced up at her and frowned. "I don't want to come to bed right this minute," he snapped uncharacteristically. "I just want to…..read for awhile," he finished lamely, grabbing up a medical journal like a lifeline. "I'll just go to the infirmary, or the common area, so I won't keep you up." He leaned down to drop a small kiss on Kaylee's forehead and turned quickly to go.

As he made his way up the ladder of their bunk, Kaylee watched him leave, chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip and sighing in frustration.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jayne walked into the galley, stomach growling hungrily. Mal looked up from the table, where he was enjoying a late snack himself. "Jim seein' to Badger's men?" he asked.

"Yep," Jayne said, stretching extravagantly. "They seem calm enough, considerin' that their boss was murdered less than a week ago and replaced by that little hundan."

Mal smiled wryly. "Maybehaps One-Eye wasn't a great boss either," he said. "Could be they just traded one hundan for another."

"Prob'ly," Jayne said, pulling food out of the cooling unit and setting a pot on the stove. Checking the chronometer on the wall, he frowned. "I get any waves today?"

"Inara didn't wave, if that's what you're askin'," Mal said, hiding his smile behind his coffee mug.

Jayne worked silently for a moment, heating up the stew Kaylee had made for supper. "Seems a mite odd, is all," he said after some time had passed.

"What?" Mal asked, having forgotten the last thing that had been said.

"That she ain't waved today," Jayne answered. "She's been talkin' to me every night since she made it to Sihnon."

"Maybehaps she's busy," Mal answered, shrugging his shoulders. "I wouldn't worry about it overmuch. She'll probably wave later tonight." But he could tell even as he said the words that Jayne was more than a little concerned. "Why don't you wave House Madrassa yourself, if you're worried on it?"

Jayne frowned. "Don't think that would be a good idea. Think that I'm s'posed to be maintainin' a low profile."

"Ah," Mal said, thinking that was probably for the best. "You want me to get River to put in a wave to her for you?"

Jayne looked relieved. "I'd be obliged to you."

Mal nodded and, snagging his cup of coffee, headed to find River.

XXXXXXXXXX

River thought that the House Mistress of Madrassa looked just as sour as Inara had described her. "I'm quite sure I don't know where Miss Serra is," she said imperiously. "As I assume you are aware, she came to us to petition for resignation from the Guild. We accepted her resignation, and she left earlier today. We would have no reason to know her whereabouts at this point."

"And no reason to give a gorram apparently," Mal muttered from the shadows of the bridge.

River smiled as if she had not heard her husband. "Well, if you would be so kind, please contact me if you hear anything from her. I am most eager to talk with her again."

The House Mistress sniffed dismissively, picking imaginary lint from her sleeve. "Of course," she said coldly. "Anything I can do to be of service. Good evening." And with that, the screen went black.

River turned sad eyes to Mal. "She sold her out," she said sorrowfully. "Told Mrs. Niska where to find her after she left the protection of the Guild House."

Mal sprang from the wall where he'd been leaning to catch River by the shoulders. "You sure about that, bao bei?"

"Yes," River said. "Saw it in her mind. She was gloating about it."

Mal's jaw tightened. "Just one more reason to get to the Skyplex quick as we can."

River nodded her assent and turned to check her course setting again, hoping to find a way to shave off some time.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	14. Chapter 14

**Black Widow**

**Part XIV—Warrior Woman**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Inara finds herself in a difficult situation, and Mal second-guesses past decisions.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara rolled her neck from side to side, trying to stretch the tense muscles there. Her hands were tied tightly behind her back and she wiggled her fingers to try to encourage circulation there. Concentrating on her physical condition kept her from having to think about the broader problem in which she found herself. Apparently the dislike the House Mistress harbored for her went far beyond anything Inara had imagined. How else to explain the woman's willingness to turn her over to a person with Mrs. Niska's reputation? she though bitterly. Their relationship had always been a bit frosty, but this level of treachery made Inara wonder what she could have possibly done to garner such animosity from the old harridan.

Sighing, she realized that these thoughts did her little good in her current situation. Arranging her face in a pleasant expression, she cleared her throat quietly. "Sir," she said softly, "Is it possible that I might be allowed to walk around a bit? My legs are beginning to go numb."

"Ain't my problem," the man said gruffly. "I ain't here for your comfort."

Though the answer irritated Inara immeasurably, she restrained herself from a sharp retort. "I understand," she said, widening her eyes as she looked at him. "It's just that there could really be no harm in it. I mean, it's obvious that you are far stronger than I am. There's no way I could escape if you let me walk around for a few minutes. And as we seem to be settled in to wait for awhile…"

"Ain't gonna be much longer," the man replied, peering out the window of the small shack in which they sat. "See the ship as is gonna be takin' ya' on your way breakin' atmo right now."

Inara swallowed thickly. If she was forced onto that ship, her chances of escape narrowed considerably. And if she ended up on the Widow's Skyplex…..She pushed the thought aside quickly, unable to even imagine what horrors might await her in such a place. Heedless now of the man with her, she struggled against her bonds, desperate as she heard the sound of a ship's engine and felt the vibration of its landing in the floor beneath her feet.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe paused for a moment, feeling the slight thud of a landing. It was too soon to be the Skyplex, she reasoned. So, apparently the ship had made some sort of side trip. Wondering how whatever was happening would affect her escape plan, she went back to work. Had she known about the side trip, she thought, she would have tried to work faster, being as how it would have been a helluva lot easier to slip off the ship than to take it in mid-flight. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she picked the next of the locks holding her chains to the floor and kept an ear out to try to find out what was happening outside.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Knew I shoulda' gone with 'er," Jayne said, the anger suffusing his features covering his fear for Inara.

Mal pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Didn't know any of this was comin' when they left," he said. "No use in second guessin' it all now. Best you go down there and relieve Jim."

"You gonna talk to the Widow again?" Jayne asked. "Ask her about Inara?"

"No," Mal replied. "Don't see as how she needs to know that we know about Inara yet. Lets her think she still has the upper hand, which might make her a mite less likely to go all psychotic-like. Could save Zoe and Inara some grief."

Jayne nodded, though he had a major need to do some immediate violence. Thinking that Badger's new men had better be on their best behavior, he stalked off toward the cargo bay, his anger like thunder in his chest.

River watched him go before turning back to her husband. "Are you all right, ai ren?" she asked quietly.

"No," Mal answered, looking up at her with sorrowful eyes. "Shoulda' turned Badger over to her the first time. We'd have made a decent profit, and none of this would have happened."

River draped herself gracefully around Mal's hunched shoulders. "Couldn't have," she said softly. "It's not your way."

Mal sighed. "You channeling the Preacher, darlin'?"

"He was right," she whispered softly against his ear. "And I am too. You do have a way. Couldn't have sent Badger to be tortured and killed, regardless of some of the things he's done."

"And yet I seem to have no problem with the thought of killin' an old woman," Mal said wryly.

"Not just an old woman," River said, rubbing his back absently. "An old woman who has kidnapped two of your best friends and threatened your whole family." She paused for a moment, shuddering at her own thoughts. "An old woman who will not stop until you stop her, one who would rain down untold misery on any number of people if she is allowed to live."

Mal shivered with the certainty of River's words. "Wish we could figure a place to leave the children," he said. "Just in case things go pear-shaped on the Skyplex."

River thought for a moment. "Could drop them on Ezra itself," she said slowly. "Maybe find someone who could look after them temporarily."

"You know of anybody you'd trust with 'em?" Mal asked almost hopefully.

"No one," River replied.

Mal drew a deep breath. "Then I guess we'd best be sure we ain't gonna get corpsified on the Skyplex," he said softly.

"Guess so," River said, her voice laced with worry.

XXXXXXXXXX

Simon shook two pills out of the bottle and downed them quickly with a glass of water. Waiting for the blessed numbness to come, he sat down heavily on a stool in the infirmary. He knew that he should be getting the infirmary ready for handling any kind of trauma likely to come from storming the Skyplex, but his limbs felt strangely heavy, as if his bones had been replaced by lead.

Crawling into his bunk and sleeping for several hours also seemed a good thing to do, but he did not want Kaylee to see him and worry. She seemed to be hovering over him more than usual, and it was vaguely annoying. But then again, he thought, perhaps she was simply undone by his appearance. He had to admit it was fairly startling to him when he looked into the mirror as well.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he slid off the stool and onto one of the infirmary beds. Pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs, he fell into a fitful sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe felt the ship begin to lift into the atmosphere and knew that the side trip was over. Wondering briefly what could have caused the delay, she opened yet another of the series of locks holding her. That left only one, she thought with a measure of real satisfaction. Taking the last lock carefully into her hand, she carefully inserted the wire she'd been working with and began to work carefully.

XXXXXXXXXX

Woodward stood looking at the beautiful woman in his hold. Inara rubbed her arms lightly to bring the circulation back, pleased that she was no longer bound so tightly. "I'm sorry that you were treated badly," Woodward said softly. "My men would not have done it quite like that."

Inara looked at him, vaguely startled. "That man was not working with you?"

"Well, I suppose he was, technically," Woodward said, smiling. "But I didn't hire him."

"I see," Inara said. "So he worked directly for Mrs. Niska."

Woodward winced. "I guess you could say that."

"And you work for her too," Inara said, looking up at Woodward with something like sadness in her kohl eyes.

"Sometimes," he answered, uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. "Regardless, I see no reason your time on my vessel should be unpleasant." He took a step forward. "In fact, I can think of all manner of pleasant ways you could spend your time here."

Inara's heart began to beat more rapidly as she watched his approach. Taking an involuntary step backward, she swallowed nervously. "Really?" she asked.

Woodward nodded. "I understand that you have recently retired from the Guild," he said as he backed Inara into the corner of the room.

"Very recently," Inara said. "In fact, I'm surprised it has become common knowledge so quickly."

Woodward's grin was feral. "Right there plain as day on the Guild registry," he said, running his hands along Inara's chilled arms. "You're very cold. Perhaps I can find a way to warm you up."

Inara twisted out of his grasp. "I'll be fine. Thank you."

Woodward frowned and reached out for her again. "It would be in your best interest not to fight me, Miss Serra. It's quite possible that I could help you avoid a rather unpleasant confrontation with Theodora Niska, assuming of course, that you…show your gratitude appropriately."

As he jerked Inara forward, she brought her knee up to connect squarely with his groin. Grunting, he loosened his grip, and Inara twisted away from him, her eyes darting about wildly in search of some weapon to use against him. Seeing nothing immediately obvious, she gathered up her skirts to run. Halfway to the door, she felt the iron grip of his hand close over her arm as he jerked her backward. He pulled her roughly into his arms as she struggled against him. "That wasn't a very good way to show your gratitude," he hissed, his breath hot against her ear. "Might need a little lesson in manners."

As he spoke, the door burst open and he looked up in surprise. Inara followed his gaze and saw Zoe standing there, an unfamiliar gun pointed in their general direction. Startled by the sight, Woodward momentarily lessened his grip and Inara yanked herself free. Stumbling backward, she fell into a heap beside him as Zoe aimed precisely at Woodward's head. "Would advise you to step away from the lady," Zoe said as impassively as if she was announcing the time of day.

"How did you…?" Woodward stuttered, hoping to stall long enough for one of his men to come to his aid.

"Wasn't too hard," Zoe said. "Don't think your men were really expectin' me to come callin'. And after the first one, I had this shiny new gun to use. Amazin' what folks'll do for you if you aim a gun at their head."

"But I didn't hear anything," Woodward said, in obvious bewilderment.

Zoe nodded. "Stealth. It's sorta the point." Waving the gun, she said, "I'll give you the same choice I gave your men. You can go on into that little room where I been stayin', or you can get shot out here. Your call."

"You mean to say that my men are all in the holding cell?"

"No," Zoe answered evenly. "A few chose the other way."

Woodward swallowed thickly. Something about this woman made him unaccountably uneasy.

"Make your choice. I ain't got an overabundance of patience just now," Zoe said softly.

Woodward moved forward slowly, his hands raised in surrender. "I'll go to the cell," he said hoarsely.

"Wise decision," Zoe said. "Leave your clothes here."

"You expect me to get naked right here?" he asked, his voice going up a half octave at the thought.

Zoe raised one eyebrow. "Conjure you were about to get naked right before I came in, weren't you? Don't see as it should be a problem."

Woodward grimaced, but began pulling his clothes off reluctantly. Inwardly cursing the dark woman and all her ancestors, he walked with as much dignity as he could muster to the holding cell, Zoe and Inara walking behind him.

Stepping into the cell, he saw that the others had been similarly disrobed. "Sit down," Zoe said, motioning him to settle down beside one of his men. "Inara," she said softly, staring intently at Woodward. "Can you please see that the Captain here is suitably shackled? Wouldn't want to have to deal with any unpleasantness later."

Inara leaned down and secured Woodward to one of the iron rings embedded in the floor. She glanced up at Zoe to see if the lock was sufficient. Zoe nodded silently, and Inara stepped daintily over Woodward's legs and out into the corridor.

Zoe turned back to Woodward and the fifteen men left on his crew, who sat huddled together, each making himself as small as possible. "I'll give you one more choice. Lights on, or off?"

Woodward closed his eyes to shut out the humiliating sight of his men, naked and bound by one very scary woman. "Off," he whispered.

XXXXXXXXXX

Having activated the lock on the door, Zoe and Inara made their way back to the bridge of the small vessel. "I have to say that I am very impressed," Inara said, smiling at Zoe. "I knew that you were a force to be reckoned with, but fifteen men?"

Zoe's lips curved into a slight smile. "Got lucky. Second guy I ran in to had a tranq gun. Nothing like a dart to the back of the neck to take the starch out of a fellow."

Inara laughed. "Guess not," she said. "So, what's the plan?"

Zoe's smile faded slightly. "Need to find Serenity. But first, we gotta figure how to fly this thing."

Inara's eyes widened. "Oh," she said, the euphoria of escaping Woodward's clutches suddenly dampened by the reality of the situation.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	15. Chapter 15

**Black Widow**

**Part XV—Sins of the Past**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Zoe has difficulty contacting Serenity, and the House Mistress muses over past indiscretions.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara held the yoke of the small vessel firmly, making subtle movements with her hands to try to gauge the responsiveness of the craft. "I think I'm getting the hang of it," she said, after a time. "Sort of like a cross between flying the shuttle and flying Serenity. I think I can get us wherever we need to go."

Zoe came out from under the console, where she had been fiddling with the comm system. "You're doing better than me, then," she said, getting up and wiping her hands on her pants.

Inara frowned in sympathy. "Still no idea why we can't contact Mal?"

"None," Zoe said flatly. "Looks to me like everything's working on this end. Best as I can figure, something must be wrong with Serenity's system."

"You don't suppose they're already on the Skyplex?" Inara said nervously. "And that they aren't answering because there's nobody left to answer?"

Zoe's lips set into a firm line. "Hope to hell that's not the case," she said softly. "But the only way I know to find out is to go there ourselves. If Serenity isn't there already, at least we know she's headed there." Looking into Inara's worried eyes, she asked, "Think you can get us there quick-like?"

"I'll see what I can do," Inara said, pulling up a course chart on the nav screen.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jim crept quietly down to Anya's room and slid open the door silently. The child slept deeply as only children can, golden hair splayed across her pillow. Thinking that she looked like an angel or a fairy from one of the stories his mother used to read to him as a boy, he leaned against the door jamb for a long while. Zoe had given him the task of looking after Anya in her absence and, though Jim would have done so anyway, knowing that Zoe was depending on him weighed heavily on his heart.

Jim had lived through many difficult circumstances, things that had broken lesser men. But now, with Zoe's life in danger, he felt as if he could not breather properly. He knew that Mal had a plan for her rescue, and knew furthermore, that he would do everything in his power to make that plan a success. But the agony was in the waiting. Feeling as if his own life hung in the balance, he realized that his love for Zoe went far deeper than even he had thought. And now, watching Anya, he could not help but think what losing Zoe would mean to both of them.

Anya said little of it in her waking hours, confiding only in Adam what was in her heart. But Jim could see the toll Zoe's absence was taking on his niece, and he ached for her. She could potentially lose another mother and he could lose a…what? he thought tiredly. What was Zoe to him, exactly? And what would she have allowed herself to be if she had had the opportunity? he wondered. Realizing with horror that he was allowing himself to think of her in the past tense, he recoiled at the thought. Pushing himself off Anya's doorjamb, he closed the door quickly and headed to his bunk, determined to pull himself together both for his own sake, and for the sake of the child with whom he'd been entrusted.

XXXXXXXXXX

The House Mistress of Madrassa was a woman with many secrets. She had lived a long and distinguished life as a Companion of the highest order before achieving her current position as House Mistress. And in those years of service to the Guild, she had seen and done things that were better left hidden in her own memory.

She sighed, looking at her window over the garden to the east of the Training House. From this same window she had watched the worrisome Inara get into the hovercraft which would take her to her fateful meeting with the Widow Niska. Smiling at the thought, the House Mistress dropped the curtain back into place and sat down at her desk to do her morning correspondence. Opening one of the drawers, she rummaged around until she found a capture she kept hidden there. Squinting at it carefully with her aged eyes, she saw the youthful face of a man she had known once very long ago.

Though the sound had long since quit working on the capture, she watched the young man's lips as he spoke. She could imagine that she still heard his voice telling her to put the capture maker down and come to bed. She pushed the capture once again to the back of her desk drawer and closed her eyes to remember the real moment more clearly. The man had been one of her first clients, a wealthy businessman who lived in Persephone. When first he contracted with her, she had been very close to achieving the kind of recognition that would make her highly sought after among the elite of society. Her own House Mistress had taken a personal interest in her, doing everything within her power to help the rising star of House Madrassa to the kind of success that would be beneficial to the novice and the Guild. In fact, the contract had been Guild-arranged, and the young woman had felt privileged to be offered such an opportunity.

The businessman had been kind on their first meeting, so swai and cultured, so very desirable to the young woman. And he had found her desirable as well, contracting with her several more times over the course of the first year. By the second year, she had learned to keep her calendar open to his schedule, as being with him was both pleasurable and profitable.

However, the time soon came when he came to her with a more serious proposition, and the young woman was placed in a precarious situation. The man wanted to contract with her exclusively for a two-year period, during which time he wanted her to give him a child. His own wife was barren, and he was intent on having an heir, not content with the thought of leaving his fortune to someone not related to him by blood.

And so the young Companion was torn. On the one hand, she knew that to contract with him exclusively even for two years would likely lose her some of her other clients, making her less valuable to the Guild. Furthermore, having a child with a client was absolute grounds for dishonorable dismissal from the Guild. On the other hand, she genuinely liked the man and knew that he would compensate her extraordinarily well should she succeed in giving him a son.

He assured her that if she would agree to bear his child, no one would ever know that she had broken Guild rules so completely. He would of course pay the Guild well for her time, and he would provide generously for her personally, allowing her to amass a small fortune of which the Guild need never know. Finally convinced that he would do as he promised, she had agreed. And when she became pregnant, David Chau had more than lived up to his end of their illicit bargain. She had been pampered like a queen and had seen with satisfaction the account he'd opened for her personal use grow extravagantly during her pregnancy. And once the squalling little infant was born, Chau had whisked it away to the arms of his barren shrew of a wife, and left the young woman to recuperate in peace. She soon regained her strength and her figure, and once she was convinced that her secret would not be discovered, she took her coin and returned to the Training House, where she was welcomed back with open arms and no suspicion.

Over the years, she had thought often of the child she had given away, and she kept watch over him from a safe distance. Though she felt no maternal love for the child, she had liked his father well enough, and so it was that she was vaguely interested in the boy's life. As could be expected, Andrew Chau had no idea that he was the illegitimate son of a Companion. To the pleasant surprise of the House Mistress, the man seemed to have none of his father's interest in contracting with a Companion, and she ceased to worry that, in her position as House Mistress, she would have to broker a contract for her own son.

But the 'verse has a way of bringing disaster to one's own doorstep, and one day, the thing that she had dreaded above all other things came to her by way of a request. Andrew Chau wished to contract with one of the Companions from House Madrassa, and seemed insistent on having Inara Serra as his first Companion.

The House Mistress had tried to gently deflect Chau's request. Inara Serra was too intelligent for such an arrangement, she had thought. If the woman spent time with Chau at all, it might come out in casual conversation that his father had once contracted with the House Mistress. And then, Inara might discover the timing of those events of so long ago. And though Inara had left House Madrassa under unusual circumstances, the House Mistress was all too well aware that Inara held a certain fascination for many of Guild members. In point of fact, the House Mistress considered Inara to be the only Companion currently affiliated with House Madrassa who could conceivably wrest her position of power from her. Should she somehow discover that Chau was none other than the son of the House Mistress, there would be no end to the power she could yield with the Guild.

However, Chau could not be deterred, and the House Mistress had regretfully sanctioned the contract with Serra. Contrary to what she had thought might happen however, something equally disturbing had occurred. Chau had raped Inara and then given her to Atherton Wing, who could not have acquired her in any other way, as he had a black mark in the Client Registry. It had taken the House Mistress months of painstaking effort to completely cover her son's misdeeds with the Guild and to assure herself that Inara would not seek retribution from him for his involvement in her assault.

Then, though the House Mistress had no concrete evidence to prove it, she suspected that it was Inara who had orchestrated the murder of Chau in his offices at Chau Enterprises. Thinking that it was probably Inara's mercenary lover who had done the actual killing, she was pleased to hurt him as well by turning Inara over to the Widow Niska. Just as the 'verse had brought adversity to her door, it had also brought her the means for revenge. And the House Mistress was not one to ignore such an opportunity when she saw it.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well, what's the matter with it?" Mal asked, the exasperation in his tone making Kaylee wince.

"Looks like there's a short of some kind in the system somewhere. Easy peasy to fix when I can find it," she replied.

"And how long do you think it will be before you can find it?" Mal growled.

"Ain't no way to know," Kaylee replied flatly. "Could be in the first set of wires I come to, or it could be in the hundredth."

"Ain't overfond of the thought of gettin' to the Skyplex without a comm system," he said, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly.

Kaylee's mind whirred with possibilities. "I'll get workin' on it right now, but if I don't find the short soon, could be I could rig up somethin' handheld that you could use inside the Skyplex. Wouldn't be able to talk to Serenity, but you'd be able to talk with everybody that had one of the comm units, at least."

Mal nodded. "I'll leave it to you. Whatever you can get together 'fore we get there."

Kaylee disappeared back under the console, already working on the problem.

XXXXXXXXXX

Badger sat in the cargo bay, eyeing his new men with interest. One-Eye had chosen wisely, so far as Badger could tell. None of the men seemed particularly twitchy about the plan, and several of them seemed to be looking forward to a spot of violence, he thought. Could be that Reynolds' plan might actually have a shot at success, in which case Badger would be rid of one very hateful old woman.

"What're you grinnin' about?" Mal asked, startling Badger out of his reverie.

"Thinkin' o' the Widow's face when she sees what's what," Badger said.

Mal snorted. "Ain't so sure I'd be all that eager to see the Widow's face if I was you," he said. "You know we're goin' in there outmanned and outgunned. Most like to die 'fore we get done."

Badger shook his head. "No, not this time," he said confidently. "My men are ready."

Mal looked at the men in question. "You sure they're willin' to fight for you, are you?"

Badger snorted. "Willing to fight for anyone what gives 'em the right amount of coin," he said. "And they know I got the coin."

Mal nodded. 'Well, it's time to tell your men to get ready. We'll be at the Skyplex in about an hour. You got any questions or concerns, now's the time."

"No questions, mate," Badger said, grinning widely. "Just looking forward to the show." He adjusted the angle of his bowler hat jauntily.

Mal shook his head, but walked on through the cargo bay to have a word with his own men.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Why doesn't he answer?" Mrs. Niska asked irritably.

"Perhaps it's a technical problem," the thin man replied calmly.

"That had better be all it is," she said darkly. "He should have been here hours ago with the two women. Reynolds will be here before I get a chance to even see them at this rate."

The thin man sighed, restraining himself from pointing out that Woodward would have arrived much earlier had the Widow not been insistent that he go back to Sihnon for the second woman. Such an observation when the Widow was in a foul mood was as likely to end in death as not, and the thin man had no death wish today. "The long range scanners indicate that there are two ships headed our way. I assume one of them is Woodward's ship and the other is most probably Serenity."

The news made the Widow smile. "Well then, perhaps I can enjoy that little weasel Badger sooner than I thought. Have you assembled the guards and told them to be on high alert?"

"Yes," the thin man replied. "Everything is in place. We should have no trouble with the crew of Serenity. They'll be seriously outmanned."

"If I recall correctly, they were seriously outmanned the first and second times they came to the Skyplex," she said dryly. "Unlike my husband, I will not make the mistake of underestimating Captain Reynolds."

"Of course not," the man replied calmly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal stuck his head into the infirmary, looking for Simon. Seeing him hunched over on one of the beds, Mal stepped into the room quickly and went to his side. "You okay, doc?" he asked.

Simon looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. Rubbing his face vigorously with his chilly hands, he said, "Fine. Just fell asleep in here, I guess." At Mal's skeptical look, he added, "Head still hurts a bit, and I took some pain pills. Made me a little groggy."

"You gonna be up to speed when we get to the Skyplex?" Mal asked, a vague sense of disquiet skittering along his spine.

"How long?" Simon asked, standing up carefully.

"'Bout thirty minutes now," Mal answered.

Simon nodded even though the motion made the room spin a little. "No problem," he said.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe saw the Skyplex looming larger in the window by the minute. "Looks like we'll be there a little after the party starts," she said quietly, seeing Serenity coming in from a slightly different angle.

Inara nodded. "That's good, right? I mean, we wouldn't have wanted to get there first, would we?"

Zoe smiled slightly, acknowledging the point. "A close second works for me," she replied blandly.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	16. Chapter 16

**Black Widow**

**Part XVI—The Skyplex**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Author's Note: I apologize for the delay in posting. The computer died, taking the last chapters of this story with it. Through the miracle of modern technology, the data was recovered. So here is the next part of the story. For those who have waited so patiently, I extend a huge thanks!

Rating: PG

Summary: Serenity's crew reaches the Widow's Skyplex, and violence ensues.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal gave River a quick kiss. "See you when it's over," he said softly.

"Wish I was going with you," River replied quietly, her large, brown eyes filled with worry.

"Need you here, darlin'," Mal said, hugging her tightly to him. "Need to know there's somebody looking after the children, and Kaylee, and Simon. He ain't exactly in fighting form."

River nodded sadly. "Sick," she said.

"Yeah," Mal replied, sighing heavily. "Soon's this is over, we'll get him some help, bao bei. I promise."

"I know," River said, tears glistening in her eyes. Wiping them away angrily, she squared her shoulders. "Time for you to go."

Mal nodded, knowing there was nothing more he could say that River didn't already know. Watching her gather the children into the common area, he swallowed the lump in his throat and headed to the bridge.

XXXXXXXXXX

A fine sheen of sweat dotted Badger's brow as Serenity docked with the Skyplex. Though he knew his men stood armed and ready in the cargo bay and he was relatively sure that Mal had no plans to backstab him, walking into the Widow's territory handcuffed and unarmed was wreaking havoc with his nerves.

Looking down the length of the corridor, he saw the Widow herself, standing safely among her armed men and waiting for him like some obscenely innocent-looking spider. "You sure about this?" he whispered to Mal, his dry lips barely moving.

Mal glanced at him coolly. "Little late to be askin' now," he murmured, pushing Badger forward. "Just be sure to make it look good."

Badger stumbled forward, the picture of reluctant dread. The Widow's men raised their weapons as Mal and Jayne flanked Badger on either side. Mal saw peripherally that Jayne had Vera in a veritable chokehold.

"Mrs. Niska," Mal said in a voice better suited to discussing the weather than negotiating a hostage transfer.

"Mr. Reynolds," the Widow said, inclining her head slightly. "I see you've brought me my prize."

Mal could feel Badger shudder beside him. Thinking that the man might actually bolt, Mal gripped his elbow firmly. Looking around casually, he said, "Wish I could say the same. But it appears you haven't brought what I require to this little shindig."

A slight frown flitted across the Widow's features before vanishing. "She'll be along, Captain. It would seem that the transport ship carrying your precious cargo has been unavoidably detained. However, I have word that it is approaching even as we speak."

Mal scowled. "Could be late on accounta' goin' back to Sihnon to kidnap Inara, I conjure."

The Widow looked at Mal in astonishment before regaining her composure. "No doubt that did play a part in the slight delay," she said, not even attempting to deny it.

"See, now it's that kinda' thing that makes me a mite twitchy," Mal replied. "Seems to me we had a deal. And now, here we've got us another outstandin' issue."

"The deal still stands, Captain Reynolds," the Widow said pleasantly. "Surely you can't begrudge an old woman a bit of, shall we say, extra insurance."

"You'd be amazed what I can begrudge an old woman," Mal said flatly, fingering his weapon.

The thin man who stood to the Widow's right side raised his hand to his ear, listening to the message being relayed in his earpiece. Turning to the Widow, he whispered quietly. The Widow nodded and turned back to Mal with a smile. "It would seem Mr. Woodward's timing is excellent. His ship has arrived. Come with me."

Still holding Badger's elbow, Mal moved forward, hoping that they were not about to be led far enough into the Widow's lair that the comm unit in his pocket wouldn't be able to transmit to Jim, who waited in Serenity's cargo bay with Badger's thirty-odd men. When the Widow turned her back, Badger glanced at Mal quickly, his eyes wide with worry. Mal shrugged and pulled the smaller man further along with him as Jayne walked slowly behind the group, observing everything around him with a hunter's heightened senses.

"Call 'em in," Badger urged in a quiet whisper, balking as Mal dragged him along. "Call 'em in now!"

"Not 'til we get a visual on Zoe and Inara," Mal whispered, his teeth clenched. "Ain't riskin' them."

The Widow Niska and her men turned left down another corridor very similar to the one from which they'd just come and Mal could see the docked ship just ahead.

The Widow stood looking at the vessel expectantly, her arms folded across her chest. After several minutes, she turned to the thin man. "What's Woodward waiting for?" she asked. "Why doesn't he just open the door?"

"Could be that there's some system-wide failure," the thin man conjectured. "He never did acknowledge our hail, so perhaps the same thing that damaged his communications system has affected the security systems as well."

The Widow pursed her lips in displeasure. "Then get somebody to pry the doors open. I'm running out of patience," she snapped.

Motioning for two of the men behind them to drop their weapons, the thin man led them toward the stubborn ship doors. Mal glanced at Jayne, who smiled slightly, liking the odds better by the minute as the Widow impatiently waved several others of her men forward to assist in prying the doors open.

Seeing the best opportunity he was likely to get, Mal tucked his head down quickly and whispered into the comm unit. "First corridor to the left when you get to the end. Come now."

As if by some sixth sense, the Widow turned to stare at Mal sharply just as he raised his head. Feigning a look of innocence, Mal smiled widely. "These newer ships just ain't like the older ones. All sorts of technical glitches." He shook his head in mock sympathy.

The Widow scowled. "I should think you would help them pry those doors open, as two of your crew are no doubt on the other side waiting for a sweet reunion with you."

"Nope, looks like your folk have got it covered," Mal said cheerfully, hearing the beginnings of a commotion down the corridor.

The Widow heard it as well. Yelling to her men, she darted quickly behind a jutting section of Woodward's ship, peeking out to see what was happening.

Mal pushed Badger quickly to the floor as Badger's men burst into the corridor shooting wildly at anything moving. "Coulda' told 'em to take some care not to shoot us," Mal grunted at Badger as he ducked, narrowly avoiding catching a bullet with his face.

"Just give me a gorram gun," Badger ground out, finding it difficult to breathe under Mal's weight.

"Jayne!" Mal yelled, seeing a team of the Widow's men coming down the corridor behind Badger's men.

"I see 'em," Jayne said grimly, giving Vera free reign to try to at least take out the men closest to Woodward's ship so that he and Mal would not be caught in a deadly crossfire.

"Gorram it," Badger said, wrestling unsuccessfully with the gun Mal had given him. "Throw me the gorram keys to the 'andcuffs."

Mal fumbled in his pocket for a moment and threw Badger the keys. Turning back to the gunfight, he saw Jim take a bullet to the hip. Staggering forward, Jim returned fire, dropping his shooter where he stood.

"You all right, Jim?" Mal yelled from behind a structural support beam.

"Think so," Jim answered, pulling himself to better cover.

Mal nodded, scanning the corridor for the Widow in the tangle of fighting men. He finally spied her hiding near Woodward's ship. "Mr. Reynolds," she called out calmly. "More of my men will be on the way shortly. Obviously, you stand no chance of getting back to your ship alive. You're quite effectively bottlenecked in this corridor. I would advise you to surrender immediately."

Mal snorted. "Not like to happen," he replied.

The Widow sighed. "Up until this very moment, I had assumed that you were a reasonable man, Mr. Reynolds. It is quite disappointing to find out otherwise."

"Yeah well, you can imagine how I hate to disappoint you," Mal yelled over the sound of stray shots being fired by both sides as the corridor floor filled with fallen men.

"I assume you require some sort of assurance that I will not have you killed if you surrender now," the Widow said after a few minutes punctuated by erratic bursts of gunfire on both sides.

"Don't see as how you could say anything that would assure me of that," Mal replied blandly as he reloaded his weapon. "Besides, it could be that I'm just aimin' to take you out with me when I go."

The Widow was silent for several minutes and Mal gritted his teeth, wondering how long it would be before the rest of the Widow's men in other parts of the Skyplex realized that there was a problem. Finally, she spoke again. "I believe you're bluffing, Captain. I don't think you'd kill an old woman."

Mal opened his mouth to disabuse the Widow of the ridiculous notion and was interrupted as the door of Woodward's ship slid open with a hydraulic hiss. Startled by the sound, everyone in the corridor froze for a moment, looking at the ship's entrance.

The Widow dared to peer around to see into the dimly lit interior. "Woodward?" she called, perplexed.

Zoe stepped out of the shadows of the ship's interior, her Mare's leg pointed squarely at the Widow's head. "He ain't available just now," she said blandly.

The Widow, ever quick, drew a small gun from her skirts, aiming it at Zoe's chest. "You shoot me, and we both die," she warned, her voice steely in the sudden quiet as men on both sides watched the two women intently.

Zoe nodded. "I'm thinkin' it'd be worth it, she said, standing motionless in the doorway.

Theodora Niska had long been a student of human nature. She looked into the warrior woman's eyes and saw in them the woman's steady resolve. But if the Widow had learned one thing from her husband, it was the absolute importance of maintaining one's reputation at all costs. She was not about to back down from this encounter in front of her men. Drawing her lips back into a macabre parody of a smile, the Widow pulled the trigger.

Zoe blinked slowly, her ears ringing with the sound of multiple gun blasts. Looking down at the small bloom of blood on the sleeve of her shirt she lowered her own smoking weapon and looked at Mal with questioning eyes.

Mal shook his head, looking from Zoe to the Widow, who lay in a pool of blood coming from two distinct bullet wounds. "Wasn't me," he said in bewilderment.

Looking around, Mal saw Jim leaning heavily against the wall, his gun hanging at his side. "Couldn't let her kill Zoe," he said, slipping down as his wounded hip gave way.

Zoe ran forward, catching Jim before he hit the floor. "Glad you couldn't," she said softly.

"Though I see you didn't really need my help," Jim said weakly.

"Nice to have it anyway," Zoe replied as Jim's eyelids fluttered shut.

Mal surveyed the situation quickly. The widow's men, now minus any real leader, seemed to have lost some of their will to fight. Jayne and Badger's men rounded up what was left of them quickly, herding them into the middle of the corridor.

When she could see that the situation was under control, Inara stepped down out of Woodward's ship daintily. "You'll find Woodward's men in the hold," she told Mal, smiling as she saw that Jayne was uninjured.

"Sounds like a good place for these as well," Mal replied. "Starting with that one," he added, pointing to the thin man, who looked vaguely shocked by the turn of events.

Turning to Badger, Mal said, "I got wounded to see to. You gonna be able to handle it from here, or do I need to stay and hold your hand?"

Badger grinned widely. "No worries, mate," he said, straightening his lapels and poking out his chest.

"Good," Mal replied, motioning Jayne to help Zoe with Jim as Badger's men finished herding the Widow's men into Woodward's ship. "I'll be expectin' to see that thirty percent waitin' for me on Persephone."

Badger nodded, waving his hand dismissively. "It'll be there, minus a handlin' fee, o' course."

Mal took a step forward, grabbing the smaller man by the throat. "How about this for a handlin' fee?" he snarled.

Badger squirmed under Mal's iron grip. Prying Mal's fingers loose from his throat with great difficulty, he croaked, "Was only a li'l joke, mate. No need for the 'ands on."

Mal stared at him, his jaw a hard line. "Thirty percent, on time and in full. Dong ma?"

Badger considered a reply, but thought better of it. "Thirty percent," he confirmed, meeting Mal's hard eyes.

Mal nodded and moved purposefully down the corridor, heading back to Serenity with Inara beside him and Zoe and Jayne right behind him, Jim's arms draped across their shoulders.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	17. Chapter 17

**Black Widow**

**Part XVII—Home Fires**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Jim gets medical attention, and Jayne tries to figure out what he needs to do to help Inara.

XXXXXXXXXX

River met Mal and the others in the cargo bay. "Take us out, River, before the rest of the Widow's men figure out what they want to do," Mal said. "Not sure I trust Badger's men to handle everything like it needs to be handled."

River nodded, heading back up the stairs quickly, while Zoe and Jayne headed toward the infirmary with Jim. Laying him carefully on the main exam table, Zoe turned quickly to Simon. "Doc?" she said, seeing the purple bruise across his cheek and the glazed look in his eyes. "You okay?"

Simon cleared his throat. "I'm fine," he said, scrubbing his hands across his face. Drawing a deep breath, he said, "So, what happened?"

"He got shot," Jayne said gruffly. "What does it look like happened?"

"Of course," Simon said, clumsily reaching for his instrument tray. "What else could have happened?" The tray clattered to the floor with a resounding crash followed by a string of curses from the normally calm doctor.

"Get Mal," Zoe said quietly to Jayne, blocking Simon's approach to Jim.

"Zoe, you need to move aside so that I can…." Simon said irritably.

"Don't think so, doc," Zoe said, her voice perfectly calm. "Not in the shape you're in."

"I said I'm fine," Simon said, putting a hand on Zoe's shoulder to push her aside.

Zoe grabbed his wrist and applied just enough pressure to get his attention. "I said 'No', Simon," she said. "Ain't gonna let you touch Jim when you're too drugged up to do it properly."

"I'm not….I mean I'm perfectly able to handle…." Simon protested weakly. "I just took a couple of pain pills for my headache. I'm….fine."

"Leave, Simon. Go on to your bunk and sleep it off." Mal's voice was firm and left no room for discussion as he entered the room.

Simon huffed in irritation, but knew better than to argue with both Mal and Zoe. Stumbling slightly as he turned to go, he said, "Call me if you need me."

Zoe had already turned back to Jim, peeling his pants back to reveal the ugly bullet hole in his hip. "What the hell happened while I was gone?" she muttered, as Mal found another tray of instruments with which to work.

"Some of the Widow's men paid a little visit to Serenity while I was gone with Jayne and Jim to deliver the cattle. Shot River and Kaylee with tranquilizer darts and decided to just beat on Simon with what must have been the butt of a gun. Looking for Badger, all the while."

"That explains the bruise, but it don't explain the shape he's in," Zoe said, injecting Jim with a numbing agent.

"Still workin' on that one," Mal said. "Really haven't had a lot of time to think about Simon, what with orchestrating that daring rescue."

Zoe allowed herself a slight smile. "Can see as how it took up most of your time, sir," she said blandly.

"Yeah, yeah," Mal said, poking at Jim's wound gingerly. "You want to do the diggin' or the sewin'?"

Zoe swallowed thickly, the reality of whose hip they were working on making her knees a little weak. "You do the diggin'," she said. "My stitchin's neater."

Mal nodded and picked up the tool he needed. Working silently, he retrieved the bullet and cleaned out the wound. "Looks like it didn't hit anything major," he said, after awhile. "Just bloody. Coulda' been a lot worse."

Zoe nodded. "Yeah, he could have needed a doctor," she said pointedly.

Mal peeled off his gloves and threw them in the trash bin. "Already promised River I'd see to Simon once we got you and Inara back."

"Good. Hate to see it get any worse," Zoe said as she began to stitch the bullet hole closed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara moved gracefully around her shuttle, tidying up the things that had been dislodged from their proper places during Zoe's capture. Jayne watched her, well aware that she was using the busy work as a distraction from something that was weighing heavily on her mind.

"Somethin' happen whilst you were on that ship?" he asked quietly.

Inara jumped at the sound of his voice after the long silence that had fallen in the shuttle. "No," she replied. "Nothing important. Though you should have seen Zoe when she found the unlucky man who had commandeered her gun."

Jayne smiled. "'Magine that was a sight."

"As were all those naked, embarrassed men in the hold," Inara said, grinning. "I'm not sure I could have arrived at such an elegant solution to our dilemma."

"Oh, I expect you would have come up with somethin'," Jayne replied, holding out his arms for her to come to him. Inara moved reluctantly forward and Jayne enfolded her in his arms. "You gonna tell me 'bout whatever's botherin' you, or you just gonna clean for the rest of the night?"

Inara sighed and led Jayne to her couch. "The Guild Tribunal agreed to my petition," she said.

"Well, that's good news, ain't it?" Jayne asked in confusion.

"The House Mistress forced me into telling the Tribunal about our relationship," she continued.

"Was that so bad?"

"Only in that it made their stipulations regarding my retirement rather more stringent than they would have been otherwise," Inara said.

"You mean…?" Jayne began, struggling to grasp what Inara was trying to say.

"I mean that I am deeply in debt," she answered bluntly.

"How deep?" Jayne asked, his throat suddenly dry.

Inara drew a heavy breath. "More than I can expect to ever pay…unless I leave Serenity and take a permanent position on a Core world somewhere."

"A permanent position doing what?"

"Teaching, maybe, or counseling," Inara answered vaguely.

Jayne thought for a few long minutes. "S'pect I could find work on a Core world easy enough," he said slowly.

Inara looked at him, startled by the observation. "Jayne, I would never expect you to do that."

"So then, what are you sayin', Inara?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said, sighing. "I need some time to think about what I need to do. Everything happened suddenly, you know." 

Jayne nodded silently. After a pause, he asked, "Anything else?"

Inara looked up at him with troubled eyes. "I believe the House Mistress contacted the Widow. How else could she have known I was no longer under the protection of the Guild?"

Jayne nodded in acknowledgement. "River talked to her when you didn't wave me. Picked up on it."

"But why?" Inara asked. "Why would she turn me over to someone who could conceivably have killed me?" The thought of the treachery of the House Mistress shook Inara to the core.

"Don't know," Jayne said, silently vowing to find out.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jim awoke to the sounds of Serenity in flight and the slightly antiseptic smell of the infirmary. Opening one eye slowly, he looked for a moment at the ceiling to assure himself that he was indeed still alive. Turning his head slightly, he saw the most welcome sight he could have imagined. Zoe lay at the foot of his bed, her head resting lightly on the sheet and her body precariously propped up between the stool and the bed itself.

He watched her for a time, noting the cut on her forehead, the darker shadows under her eyes, and the exhausted slump of her shoulders which she would never allow in her waking hours. And he felt a strong tenderness wash through him at the sight. He wanted to scoop her up in his arms, take her to his bed, and make slow, sweet love to her. But the reality of the situation was a harsh master, and Jim knew that there was no certainty he would ever be able to act on his desires. And most assuredly, he thought tiredly, he wouldn't be able to act on them in the shape he found himself now.

Lifting the sheet carefully so as not to awaken Zoe, he raised his head up enough to see the bandage at his hip. The area throbbed uncomfortably, and Jim knew from experience that the throbbing was merely a precursor to the serious pain that would soon follow when whatever numbing agent had been used began to really wear off. Moving his leg experimentally, he winced as he felt the pull of the wound. Since Simon was not hovering over him like a mother hen, he assumed that the wound was not severe, but that didn't stop it from hurting all the same. He laid his head back on the pillow, a slight sheen of sweat coating his face. Concentrating on breathing deeply, he closed his eyes again.

"You need somethin' for the pain?" Zoe asked quietly.

Jim's eyes popped open again. "Didn't mean to wake you," he said. "Just testing the waters, so to speak."

Zoe rummaged around in the cabinet. Frowning, she turned back to Jim. "Looks like we're out of pain pills. I could give you an injection though."

Jim grimaced. "Not a big fan of the shots," he said. "Maybe I'll just tough it out for awhile."

"Better to take it before the pain ramps up too much," Zoe suggested. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle."

Jim smiled. "Somehow I hoped the first time you said that to me you wouldn't be holding a needle the size of my arm in your hand."

Zoe raised one eyebrow. "Really?" she said, her lips curving into a tiny smile. "And just what were you hoping I would be holding when I said it?"

Jim blushed. "Umm, can I get back to you on that?"

Zoe chuckled low in her throat. "Oh yes," she said, sliding the needle gently into his arm.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jayne slipped quietly out of Inara's bed and pulled his clothes on in the darkness. Moving with the stealth of a natural hunter, he walked to the door and opened it silently. Walking through the ship, he listened to the sounds of Serenity's sleep cycle, and thought about how it would be if he lived on some Core world and never got to hear such a sound again. Rolling his neck to stretch the tension out of his muscles, he walked to the bridge to find River.

"Hey," River said, still looking at the navigational console as he entered.

"Why can't I ever sneak up on you?" Jayne asked.

River turned to him and smiled. "Because you always think too loud about how you want to sneak up on me."

"S'pose that makes a twisted kind of sense," Jayne said, grinning at the young woman. "Just wanted to talk to you a minute."

River nodded. "Want to know what the House Mistress was thinking," she said.

"Yeah," Jayne said. "It's botherin' Inara, so it bothers me. You know what I mean?"

"I do," River said solemnly. "Separate, but becoming one. Inevitable."

Jayne frowned. "Yeah, well, whatever. What's the deal with the House Mistress?"

"If I tell you, what will you do?" River asked.

"Whatever needs doing," Jayne said flatly.

River looked at him intently for a long moment. "Can I help you do it?" she asked.

Jayne returned her steady gaze. "Guess that depends on what needs doing."

River nodded. "I think we could be very effective if we work together. Could maybe make it so that Inara doesn't have to leave."

"You been eavesdroppin' in our heads when we're together?" Jayne asked, his scowl disapproving.

"No," River said. "Not on purpose anyway. Can feel Inara's fear and your worry without trying."

"Best you tell me what you know about the old pofu, and then we'll figure what to do about it," Jayne said.

"Fair enough," River agreed. And settling back in the pilot's chair, she did just that.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	18. Chapter 18

**Black Widow**

**Part XVIII—Heart to Heart**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: River asks Mal to divert to Sihnon, and Zoe and Jim have a much-needed discussion.

XXXXXXXXXX

"We need to go back to Sihnon," River said.

Mal, startled by the urgency in her voice, looked up from rocking Hannah to sleep. "Why?"

River sat on the edge of their bed and sighed heavily. "Simon needs help," she said.

Mal nodded. "Yeah, I kinda' figured that out. Strung out on pain meds. Zoe told me she couldn't even find any left in the infirmary, and we were stocked up when we left Persephone."

"Didn't mean to get that way," River said sadly. "He just has so much to worry about, and then the injury just…"

"I know, bao bei," Mal said softly, putting Hannah carefully into her bassinet so as not to wake her. "Don't reckon many set out to get addicted, and certainly not someone like your brother."

A single tear leaked out and fell down River's cheek. "He won't talk to me." Her voice trembled with sorrow.

"I'll talk to him, darlin'. He has to talk to me. I'm the Captain," Mal said, trying to make her smile. River obliged, giving him a watery smile. Mal continued. "But why Sihnon? We're headed to Persephone, and I'm sure they got someone who could help him there."

"Have to go to Sihnon for Inara," River replied, wiping her tears dry.

Mal scratched his head. "Seems to me Inara just came from there not so long ago. Why does she need to go back?"

"She doesn't," River answered. "But Jayne needs to do something for her there. Something very important."

"Like what, exactly?" Mal asked.

"Can't tell you," River said, lowering her eyes. "But don't worry. I'm going with him. I'll keep him out of trouble."

Mal scowled. "Why does that not make me feel any better?"

"I don't know," River answered as she headed up the ladder. "But it should."

"Where are you going now?" Mal asked.

"To plot the course for Sihnon."

"I ain't said yes yet," he complained.

"But you were about to," River said, leaning her torso back down into the bunk to smile at him before dancing her way to the bridge.

XXXXXXXXXX

Anya snuggled closely into Zoe's solid warmth. "Missed you, Mama," she said softly.

"Missed you too, little one," Zoe replied, pulling the covers up over the two of them.

"Were you scared?" Anya asked.

Zoe thought about it for a moment. "A little," she said finally. "You?"

Anya nodded solemnly. "I was really scared," she admitted. "Afraid you wouldn't come back."

"You know I'll always come back if I'm able," Zoe said, stroking Anya's long blonde hair.

"I know," Anya answered. "But I was afraid you wouldn't be able, if that mean old woman got hold of you."

Zoe smiled. "Well, you don't have to worry about that particular mean old woman again."

Anya was silent for a short time. "Would you have killed her if Uncle Jim hadn't?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yes," Zoe answered firmly. "I would have. She was the kind of person who would never have stopped trying to hurt our family. And other people too, for that matter. Not to say that I would have enjoyed it, but sometimes a person has to do difficult things to protect the people they love. Especially out here in the Black where we're all we've got to depend on. Dong ma?"

Anya nodded slowly. "I suppose so," she said. "Only it's sort of scary, still."

Zoe nodded, unwilling to lie to the child. "It can be," she agreed. "But it can't really be helped, far as I can see."

Anya shivered and snuggled closer to her mother's warmth. "Love you, Mama," she whispered.

"Love you too," Zoe said, kissing Anya's forehead and slipping out from under the covers. "Good night."

"Night," Anya replied, yawning widely. "See you in the morning."

"Yes, you will," Zoe assured her. She stood for a moment, drinking in the sight of her child as Anya drifted off to sleep. Then, shutting the door quietly, she headed to the infirmary to check on Jim.

XXXXXXXXXX

With River finally back in their bunk and sleeping somewhat peacefully, Mal climbed up their ladder and began his nightly walk around the ship. Passing Inara's shuttle, he heard the low murmur of voices and knew that she and Jayne were no doubt discussing her decision to leave the Guild. He wondered fleetingly what it was about his mercenary to move Inara to make such a life-altering decision. She certainly had entertained no such thoughts in the brief time he and she had been together, he thought with a twinge of asperity. But, whatever it was, he was glad of the decision, having never quite approved of Inara's profession, no matter what advantages it had brought to him to have a Companion aboard Serenity.

Moving on, he peeked into the engine room, where he could see Kaylee's feet sticking out from under the engine. Stepping inside, he cleared his throat so as not to scare his mechanic. She peered out and smiled when she saw him. "Oh hey, Cap'n," she said cheerfully. "Shoulda' known it was you, checkin' up on our girl."

As always, Kaylee's smile made Mal smile in return. "Thought you might be in your bunk with the doctor," he said.

Kaylee's smile faltered a little. "Well, he was kinda'….tired, and all crochety, so I thought me and Daniel could come down here for a little while. You know, to give him time to rest."

Mal leaned down on his haunches to be on eye level with Kaylee. "Bad, is it?" he asked gently.

Kaylee slid out from under the engine and wiped her hands on the legs of her coverall. "I'm worried about 'im, you know. And he won't talk to me at all. Just gets mad when I say anything to him. I think…" She bit her lip nervously. "I think he's taking too many pills," she finished in a rush of breath.

"I know, li'l Kaylee," Mal said, pulling her into his arms as she started to cry. "And we're headed to get him some help. Might be that we have to be kinda tough on him to get him to agree to accept the help though. You think you can do that?"

Kaylee nodded against his chest. "I can do whatever I have to do to help him get better," she said.

Mal's arms tightened around her quickly before he let her go. "Good girl," he said gruffly. "Now, best you get some sleep, and I'll have a talk with him tomorrow. Okay?"

"Yes, Cap'n. That'd be shiny," Kaylee said, the relief in her voice making Mal's heart ache for her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe stepped quietly into the infirmary, so as not to awaken Jim, but she found him wide awake and staring at the ceiling. "See anything interesting up there?" she asked. Jim jumped, startled by her voice, and winced as the motion jarred his hip. "Sorry," she said. "Didn't mean to take you by surprise like that."

"S'all right," Jim answered, pleased beyond measure that she had come. "Just wasn't expecting anyone to still be up at this hour."

"I just tucked Anya in for the night," Zoe replied, pulling up a stool. "She's a little shaky with the kidnapping and shooting and such."

Jim nodded. "Yes, I can see how that might not set too well with a ten-year-old," he said wryly. "Didn't set too well with me, truth be told."

"You in any pain?" Zoe asked.

"A little," Jim answered honestly. "Not enough for another shot, mind you, but just enough to remind me to take cover next time the bullets start flying."

"Always a good policy," Zoe agreed.

A heavy silence fell as both people tried to find something safe to discuss. Unable to stand it any longer, Jim spoke. "Don't know what I would have done if that woman had hurt you, or even worse, killed you," he said softly.

"You'd have gone on," Zoe replied just as softly. "Picked yourself up and just…gone on with life."

Jim looked at her steadily. "Is that what you think you've done….since Wash, I mean? "Cause it seems to me you're….kinda……" He licked his lips nervously. "….stuck in limbo, or something."

"You sure you're up to this conversation right now?" Zoe asked, her wild heartbeat making her wonder if she was the one not up to it instead.

"I am," Jim said, concentrating on sounding as calm as he could. "I love you, Zoe, and I want to wait for you to love me, if you need me to wait. You said we were going somewhere, and I know I told you that it was enough for now, but…when I thought I might not get to talk to you again, might not get another opportunity to tell you how much I love you, it was almost more than I could take. I know I'm not Wash, and I'm never gonna be. And truthfully, I don't want to be. I want you to love me because…" He paused, swallowing thickly. "Because you see something in me worth loving."

Zoe simply stared at him for long, agonizing moments. Finally, just as Jim was beginning to contemplate how to gracefully close his eyes and pretend he had said nothing, she spoke. "Inara gave me the use of a big bathtub at the Training House," she began. Jim's brow wrinkled as he considered what that had to do with anything. "And I love a good, hot bath," she continued. "But whilst I was sitting there and the steam was rising all around me, I got to thinking about you, and me, and Wash. And I realized something that I need to tell you."

Her large, dark eyes drew Jim in. "What?" he asked, so softly he thought she may not have even heard him.

Zoe drew in a deep breath. "I loved Wash. Love him still, as a matter of fact. He had a way about him, something I ain't ever seen before nor since. And when he won me over, I was sure it would be for the rest of my life. I mean, it was fair certain that I'd die before he did, bein' as how Mal has a way of puttin' me in harm's way, if you know what I mean."

Jim nodded silently.

"So, when Wash died, I wasn't ready. Don't see as I ever would have been ready to see my husband, my soulmate, killed in front of me like that. That's one of those things you just don't ever get over, not really. No matter what people tell you, or you tell yourself, that's a thing you don't ever heal from completely. You can take it inside yourself, and just let it harden in you until you're able to deal with it in a small way, but it don't heal up proper. Leaves a scar that's sensitive and sore more often than not." She reached out to gently take Jim's hand. "But, when you get scars, ain't nothing to do but live with them, and ignore them as you can, 'til they aren't so tender anymore. I ain't saying that I'll ever quit lovin' Wash, 'cause I won't. But, I got love enough in me for someone else, so long as that someone understands something of the nature of scars and such. That bein' said, if you're willing to be with me, I'd like to say that I'm fair certain I'm fallin' in love with you."

Jim gripped her hand tightly. "I understand the nature of scars, and I'm more than willing," he said, his voice deep with emotion.

Zoe nodded. "That's good to know," she said softly, feeling something she'd thought long since shriveled inside her begin to unfurl and grow once again.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	19. Chapter 19

**Black Widow**

**Part XIX—Interventions**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Mal confronts Simon abut his problem, and Jayne and River meet with the House Mistress of Madrassa.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I see no reason I can't at least go to one of the passenger dorms," Jim said.

Simon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck distractedly. "I can't keep as close an eye on you there," he said irritably.

"You said yourself that everything looks fine," Jim countered. "And I could get more rest in a passenger dorm."

"Fine," Simon said, throwing up his hands in frustration. "Go ahead. It seems nobody around here needs my medical advice anyway."

"It isn't that at all, Simon," Jim said, really looking at the doctor for the first time since he'd been injured. "I just feel sort of…naked out here where anyone can walk in at any time. I didn't mean to imply I don't respect your medical opinion."

"Sorry," Simon muttered, massaging his temples absently. "I seem to be a little touchy since Deadwood. Didn't mean to take it out on you."

"It's all right, doc," Jim said, observing silently the slight trembling in Simon's hands. "I suppose it was very…unsettling, what happened while we were gone."

Simon sighed, wishing to put a quick end to the conversation. "How about I help you move to the passenger dorm next to Anya's room? Then if you need anything in the middle of the night, I assume you could awaken her easily enough."

"Sounds good," Jim said, shifting on the bed in preparation for trying to stand. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on with the good doctor, but it looked suspiciously like withdrawal of some sort. Dismissing the thought as absurd, he slid carefully off the bed into Simon's steadying arms.

XXXXXXXXXX

Having helped Jim move into more comfortable accommodations, Simon stepped back into the infirmary. He looked at himself in the small mirror above the sink. Though the bruising on his cheek and forehead was beginning to dissipate, there was a slow, steady pounding in his head. His eyes were bloodshot, and he frowned as he noticed them. Thinking that there was no reason for such a symptom, he began to wonder if perhaps he had missed something on the scan he'd taken of his head. And then there was the dryness of his mouth, and the slight tremor in his hands. No wonder he was mildly irritated, he thought. Perhaps he needed to take another pain pill.

After several minutes of fruitless searching for a bottle that wasn't empty, he gave up, wondering vaguely where he could have put Serenity's supply of pain meds. Well aware of how often one or more of the crew experienced a serious injury, he kept a good supply on hand at all times, and it was mildly frustrating that he couldn't seem to remember where they were. Dismissing his confusion as a result of little sleep and his pounding head, he set about to prepare an injection of medication instead.

Just as he pushed the needle into his distended vein and felt the first rush of relief as it spread pleasantly into his system, he looked up to see Mal watching him from the doorway of the infirmary. Blushing bright red, he hastily removed the needle and rubber tourniquet he's applied to his arm and pulled down his shirt sleeve.

"What are you doing, doc?" Mal asked calmly, stepping into the room.

Simon swallowed guiltily before convincing himself that he had been doing nothing wrong. He raised his head defiantly. "I had a headache. Needed something to ease it off."

Mal nodded noncommittally. "Couldn't find a pill to take?" he asked.

Simon shook his head. "It seems I miscalculated the last time I stocked the infirmary. We've run out of oral pain meds."

"Don't think you miscalculated, doc," Mal said carefully, gauging the man's reaction. "I think we ran out for another reason entirely."

Simon swallowed nervously, unsure of why he should be so suddenly on edge. "I'm afraid I'm not following you."

Mal looked at his brother-in-law and friend compassionately. "I think you took those pills, Simon. Think you needed them when you were injured, and then just kept on taking them afterward."

"That…that can't be true," Simon said, recoiling frantically from the thought that he could have actually done such a thing without being consciously aware of the extent of his drug use. "I'm sure you're mistaken."

"Wish I was," Mal said, seeing the panic in the younger man's eyes. "But I've seen my share of folk that got addicted to one drug or another and I recognize the signs." He paused for a moment to give Simon time to assimilate what he was saying. Continuing softly, he said, "I think you've got a problem, Simon. And I ain't the only one that's noticed it. How many times in the past week has River tried to talk with you about it? Or Kaylee?"

Simon shook his head in denial. "They don't understand, and neither do you. I'm a doctor, for God's sake. I know what I'm doing."

"Do you?" Mal asked, pinning Simon to the spot with his devastating certainty. "Because you don't look like a man who's in control. Look in the mirror, Simon. Look into the mirror and, as a dispassionate doctor, tell me what you see."

Simon closed his eyes, seeing again the face he'd seen a few moments before. "It can't be," he whispered, unable to accept the proof before him, denial his last defense. He felt his knees buckle and he slid to the infirmary floor in a defeated heap. "How could I have…?"

Mal sat down beside him on the floor, his steady presence giving Simon something solid to hold on to. "It's easy enough to see how it could have happened, Simon," he said. "For the past several years now, you've been through more go se than most men have to deal with in their whole lives. Savin' River from the Academy, savin' everybody on the crew any time something goes pear-shaped, saving your own son when he was ailing, always having to be the steady one. Ain't any wonder that you thought you needed a release, to just feel the worry and stress and pain go away for a little while. No shame in it."

Simon rubbed his hands across his face, unable to meet Mal's gaze for several minutes. "How can you say there's no shame in it?" he mumbled into his chest, head bowed in weary defeat. "Zoe didn't even want me to look after Jim's injury. Thought I was too….strung out to do it." He looked up at Mal, the depth of the pain in his eyes taking Mal's breath away. "What kind of doctor am I? What kind of man?"

"A human one," Mal answered quietly. "One with all the faults of any other man."

"I don't think I can…..handle this," Simon said brokenly.

"Yes, you can," Mal said, pulling him up and setting him down on a stool. "You can, because you don't have to handle it alone. You got people who stand ready to help you. And there is no shame in letting them do it. Dong ma?" Simon nodded, though he looked not at all convinced. Mal continued, "You been savin' everybody else on this boat for years. Now I need you to save my medic."

"How?" Simon asked in a small voice.

"We're headed to Sihnon. River tells me there are facilities there, doctors and counselors who might be able to help you get over the worst of it," Mal answered. "Assuming, of course, that you're willing to give it your best shot."

Simon began to balk. "Surely it's not that serious," he said, hanging on to one last slender thread of hope. "I mean, not serious enough to have to stay on Sihnon for any kind of extended treatment. I can…."

Mal interrupted him. "No offense to you, doc, but on this one I think it's safe to say we might need a second opinion. Why don't we just go and see what the other doctors have to say? Seems the reasonable thing to do."

Simon drew in a deep breath. "What if I don't agree with their opinion?"

"I say we cross that bridge when we come to it," Mal said.

"And Kaylee? And River? Do they agree with this plan?" Simon asked, fighting to overcome his natural defenses to such an arrangement.

"They do," Mal said, hoping that Simon would agree without being forced.

"I see," Simon said, regaining some of his normal composure. "In that case, I'll do some checking around, find out about the reputation of the various facilities on Sihnon, that kind of thing."

Mal nodded, relieved that the doctor had at least minimally agreed. "Maybehaps Inara might know something about it," he suggested. "She did live on Sihnon for a time, after all."

Simon nodded. "Perhaps," he said neutrally.

"Simon," Mal said, hearing the wavering in the doctor's voice. "We'll do what it takes to handle this….whatever it takes. Dong ma?"

"I understand, Captain," Simon said, hearing the slight hint of steel in Mal's voice.

XXXXXXXXXX

The House Mistress of Madrassa looked up in surprise. "Who?" she asked, quite sure she'd misheard the servant.

"A Mr. Jayne Cobb and Mrs. River Reynolds," the servant repeated.

The House Mistress reined in her surprise. "Give me a few minutes, and then send them in," she ordered.

As the servant bowed and backed out of her office, the House Mistress's mind whirred with the possible reasons Inara's lover might request an audience with her. She knew from what little she'd learned of his reputation that he was a violent man, but she could hardly believe even he would be so brazen as to come into the inner rooms of the Training House with the intent to harm her. Thinking that his visit should prove to be at least interesting, she straightened her skirts quickly and arranged her face in a pleasing expression.

Within scant minutes, the door opened and the servant ushered a very large man and a tiny woman into the room. Struck by how intimidating the man would be to most people, the House Mistress smiled pleasantly and rose from her chair. "Mr. Cobb," she said. "I had hoped to meet you one day. And Mrs. Reynolds, what a pleasure to see you again. Won't you have a seat?"

River glided gracefully to the proffered chair and sat down, saying nothing. Jayne followed suit, his large bulk overpowering the small chair in front of the desk. "Would you care for some refreshments?" the House Mistress asked, the perfect hostess.

"No," Jayne answered shortly. "Just came to talk, is all."

"I see," the House Mistress said, sitting down behind her desk with all the dignity of her office. "Though I must admit to a certain curiosity about what the topic of conversation will be."

"Then let me get right to it," Jayne said, leaning forward and causing the chair to creak dangerously. "I'm here to get you to change the stipulations of Inara's retirement from the Guild."

"Why, Mr. Cobb," the House Mistress said, feigning surprise. "I'm afraid you are operating under a false assumption. I did not set the stipulations. They were determined in accordance with Guild policy by a tribunal of Inara's peers. And while I acted as chair of that tribunal, I am not at liberty to make changes to the ruling. I'm very sorry to disappoint you."

Jayne sat back in the small chair, having been coached by River that this was likely to be the answer of the House Mistress. Smiling chillingly, he said, "See now, I find that hard to believe. You're a woman of position and power. It's plain to see. So, I'm thinking that maybe it is that you just don't want to see Inara a free woman. And just so you know, that don't set all that well with me."

"Well, as interesting as I'm sure your thoughts on the matter are, Mr. Cobb, I am not inclined to hear them," the House Mistress said, abandoning her pleasant persona in the face of Jayne's annoying demeanor. "So, unless there is something else, I am quite busy this afternoon." She lifted her chin defiantly, staring at Jayne with her most intimidating stare.

Jayne smiled wolfishly. "Well now, there is something else needs discussing," he said easily, emphasizing his utter lack of concern. "That's why I brought River here."

The House Mistress looked at him, puzzled. She had thought that he would leave, or in the worst case, threaten her with physical violence. But she had not expected his calm reaction. "I'm sure I can't imagine what the young lady could say that would alter my opinion in the slightest," she said icily.

Jayne nodded at River and she began to speak quietly, outlining for the House Mistress all that she knew about the woman's past indiscretions, her role in the birth of Andrew Chau, her subsequent cover-up of the fact, and the actions she had taken against Inara to affect the outcome of the Tribunal's decision. She spoke softly and slowly, her words dripping like acid on the hard stone of the House Mistress's heart.

When River finished, the room was silent as the import of her words sank in. Drawing a deep breath, the House Mistress pulled her lips into a thin line. "And what proof do you have of this?" she said, her voice thin and strained.

"None," River answered, her dark eyes boring into the House Mistress until the woman had to fight the urge to physically squirm. "At least, not in my immediate possession. But there are pieces of evidence that you, through some ridiculous sentimentality, have kept. Mr. Cobb sees no moral dilemma in searching through your private things and bringing the truth to light." She smiled. "He is singularly unmoved by arguments about respecting the sanctity of the Guild House, as you might imagine. And I tend, in this instance, to agree with him."

"She's right," Jayne said, grinning. "Ain't got a problem with it at all."

"And even in the absence of concrete evidence," River continued as breezily as if she were at a garden party, "You and I both know how a simple word dropped here or there with the right people can have quite a devastating effect on one's reputation and position in society."

The House Mistress scowled, all pretense of politeness gone. "And what does Inara say to all this?" she asked. "I suppose she was too spineless to confront me with this herself."

Jayne's expression turned abruptly dark. "She doesn't know we're here," he said. "And she ain't gonna know either. Not even if I have to break every spindly bone in your body. Dong ma?"

The House Mistress looked from Jayne to River. River nodded solemnly. "He means it," she said. "And we both know he's more than capable of it, before you could even begin to call for aid." 

The House Mistress weighed her options, as she always had. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"It is really quite simple," River said, ticking off the points with her fingers. "First, you will call another meeting of the tribunal and use your influence to change the monetary stipulations imposed on Inara, which will be to your own considerable advantage in view of the second requirement. Secondly, you will anonymously move credits from your own accounts to Inara's, thereby giving her access to a means of paying her debt to the Guild in full. And thirdly, you will, after such payments have been finalized, petition the Guild for retirement yourself, thus eliminating the need for us to come forward with proof of your egregious violation of Guild rules."

"Those requirements are ridiculous," the House Mistress protested. "What could I possibly hope to gain by submitting to your demands?"

"Nothing," River said flatly. "But you will avoid losing that which is of utmost concern to you….your reputation, your dignity, and quite certainly, your life. Viewed in that way, I'm sure you will agree that acceding to our demands is in your best interests."

"How do I know you won't come forward, even if I do as you demand?" the House Mistress said.

Jayne's grin was feral. "You don't," he said. "Guess you'll just have to trust us."

River's voice was almost kind. "Do you really have a choice?" she asked.

The only sound in the office came from the antique clock in the corner as the House Mistress weighed her options. Finally, she stood, straightening her shoulders in her most imposing stance. "I will accede to your wishes," she said quietly. "But what you request will take some time. These things must be handled with delicacy."

"You have a week," Jayne said, rising from the chair to tower over her. "No more."

"I understand," the House Mistress said, inclining her head slightly. "In that case, it is best you leave now, so that I might begin."

As Jayne and River reached the exit, the House Mistress turned to stare out her window at the garden she loved. Thinking that it would be a view she would very much miss, she leaned against the window tiredly. Some burdens must be put down as one reached one's dotage, she thought wearily. And it would seem that the time had finally come to do just that.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Still wish we coulda' just killed her," Jayne muttered as he and River made it back to Serenity.

"Wouldn't have helped Inara," River said reasonably. "Besides, we've taken something much more valuable than her life."

"Yeah?" Jayne asked. "What?"

"Her ability to win," River said.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	20. Chapter 20

**Black Widow**

**Part XX—Healing Seasons**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Simon faces a treatment decision, and Inara gets an unexpected wave.

XXXXXXXXXX

Doctor Li sat down behind his desk and looked gravely at the group assembled before him. Simon, looking somewhat shell-shocked from the events of the session, crossed his arms protectively over his chest, while Kaylee held her hands tightly in her lap.

Mal glanced at River, anxious to see how she was handling the stress of the situation. She gave him a smile that wavered a little around the edges, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Dr. Li began to speak. "When Inara told me that the past few years had been difficult for you, I'm afraid I severely underestimated the gravity of her words, Simon. It is little wonder that you find yourself in need of some outside help to deal with things."

"I'll be fine," Simon said as convincingly as he could manage. "Now that it's been pointed out to me that I…overindulged in my pain meds, I can certainly control the amount I allow myself in the future. And as for the things we've gone through, they are in the past."

The doctor smiled kindly. "Would that our minds worked in that way, Simon. But you know as well as I that past events affect all of us for good or ill. Their influence on the choices we make now are evident." When Simon started to protest, Dr. Li raised his hand. "Let me finish, please," he said gently. "No one here believes for even one moment that you are intentionally harming yourself with these meds. But Simon, make no mistake. You have been harmed by the abuse of these drugs. It is even now altering your ability to make wise decisions regarding treatment options."

"Just because I don't agree with your treatment plan does not mean I am making a poor decision," Simon said cuttingly. "I am well aware of my limitations and abilities."

"So," Dr. Li said, steepling his fingers under his chin. "You believe that your family and friends are all worried for nothing? That their concerns are completely baseless?"

Simon glanced at Kaylee, who looked at him pleadingly. "I believe they are less qualified than I to make determinations regarding proper treatment."

"Tell me, Simon," Dr. Li said. "What would you estimate the level of medication in your bloodstream to be right now?"

Simon thought for a moment, and gave an estimate. Dr. Li silently handed him the toxicology report from his lab. Simon read quickly, flipping through the pages of the text with disbelief. "There must be some mistake," he stammered. "Some mix-up with the lab results. I wouldn't have given myself this level of …..It's just impossible."

"The results were checked and rechecked," Dr. Li said quietly. "And the fact that you don't even remember giving yourself most of this medication is indicative of a serious problem, Simon. We can help you here. Obviously, our first order of business will be a detoxification process, which will, as you know, need to be medically supervised if it is to be safe. Then, with counseling, sufficient rest, and some lifestyle modifications, there is no reason to believe that you will not be able to make a full recovery."

Simon snorted. "So you're claiming to have a cure for addiction, then."

"No," Dr. Li said patiently. "There is no cure for addiction. As a doctor, you are well aware of that. However, there is a skill-set to managing addictions, and you are an excellent candidate for using those skills effectively. That is, assuming you will have the courage to admit the extent of the problem and work on a reasonable solution as part of the team of specialists who will be managing your case."

"I can't just leave my family for an extended time while I work through this," Simon said. "I'm needed on Serenity. I'm the only medic on board, and you've barely heard the very tip of what happens out in the Black. Sending them out without a doctor is virtually assuring that some of them won't come back alive."

"Sending them out with a heavily-medicated doctor is just as dangerous," Dr. Li said honestly.

Mal cleared his throat. "How long a time are we talking about here?"

Dr. Li shook his head. "That will be dependent on many variables such as Simon's desire to cooperate with the chosen treatment methods, his body's ability to repair the damage that has been done, other emotional and physical factors…even genetics, to some degree."

"In other words, Mal, he doesn't know," Simon said bitterly. "It could be months."

"Most probably not months," Dr. Li said to lessen the tension in the room. "At least not more than a few, especially considering that you will have a built-in support network when you are able to return to your ship. Your family seems committed to aiding you in any way possible."

"We are," Kaylee said firmly, reaching out to hold her husband's hand. "Will I be able to stay with him through the treatment?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Dr. Li said. "At least through the initial stages of treatment, Simon will need to be constantly monitored by a team of medical personnel. And then, it has been our experience that our patients tend to achieve better results when they can concentrate entirely on the recovery process, unencumbered by any distraction."

"Oh," Kaylee said in a small voice. "I didn't know."

"You will of course be able to visit with him on a regular basis," Dr. Li said encouragingly.

"Not if I'm on Serenity and he's on Sihnon," Kaylee said quietly.

"Maybehaps we can find a way to stay for a little while," Mal said in the sudden silence of the room. "I know River'll want to be here, and obviously, Kaylee too. Could be I could find us somethin' to do by way of work close by."

River's relieved smile lit up her face. "Thirty percent straight off the top," she said quietly.

Mal nodded. "Should be enough to handle takin' a little vacation on Sihnon, I'm thinkin'." Turning to Simon, he asked, "So, doc, you gonna do this thing willin', or do I have to send in Jayne?"

A spark of Simon's old sarcasm lit his eyes for a moment. "I'll do it, provided I don't have to see Jayne."

"Deal," Mal said.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara stood in her shuttle, going through several of her things in preparation for selling them to make her first payment to the Guild. Thinking alternately about her own precarious financial situation and Simon's precarious emotional health, she was trying desperately to achieve some sort of calm. Jayne had been in her shuttle earlier, but his seeming lack of concern about the whole matter had been vaguely annoying, and Inara had pleaded a headache to get him to go back to his own bunk.

Caught up in her own thoughts, she was startled by a light knock on the door. "Ching jin," she called out. Zoe stepped inside, looking vaguely uneasy. "Is everything all right?" Inara asked quickly. "Nothing went wrong with Simon, right?"

"Far as I know, everything's fine," Zoe said, standing stiffly right inside the door.

"Come on in," Inara said, motioning to a seat.

Zoe sat down lightly, bending her long, lean body onto the couch. "Sorry about the mess in here when you got back," she began.

Inara looked at her in puzzlement before remembering how the shuttle had looked when she had walked into it after the Skyplex. "I was just glad that you were okay," she said, smiling at the other woman. "And, quite frankly, pleased that Mal had the presence of mind not to vent my things out into the Black when they had to dock the shuttle with Serenity with no one in it."

"Was a pretty piece of flyin' River did, I imagine," Zoe said. Looking around at the piles of things sitting about, she added, "So, what are you doing?"

Inara sighed. "I'm just going through a few things to see about selling some of them. I won't have a use for them now that I am officially retired."

Zoe nodded. "So, you handled the old ladies well enough, I guess."

"More like I survived them handling me," Inara said ruefully. "Though I did have a good moment or two now and then." She looked up at Zoe and realized that the other woman was not really listening to her. "Zoe, is everything all right?"

Zoe blinked rapidly for a moment, regaining her concentration. "Sorry," she said. "What did you say?"

"Nothing important," Inara answered. "Just that they agreed to my request."

"Good," Zoe said. "That's real good." She cleared her throat nervously. "Um, Inara, there's something I need to ask you."

"What is it?" Inara asked, giving Zoe her undivided attention.

"I was wondering if you might have a….stash of contraceptives somewhere. I've looked in the infirmary, and the only stuff Simon's stocked is what Kaylee and River use. But….I'm allergic to it, and I need…something else."

Inara smiled, quickly getting up to open a drawer in her bureau. Motioning Zoe over, she said, "Anything there that you need, go ahead. I take it this is good news for Jim?"

"Well, I hope that's the way he sees it," Zoe said, a slight smile curving her lips. Pocketing what she needed, she looked at Inara with warm, brown eyes. "I'll replace these as soon as I can," she said.

"Don't worry about it," Inara said, smiling brightly. "If you need more, just let me know."

Zoe headed for the door. "I'm sure this will be enough for now," she said, one eyebrow lifting playfully as she turned to look at Inara again. "After all, he is recovering from a bullet wound…to the hip, no less."

Inara's soft laugh brightened the shuttle. "You might be surprised by how rapidly he will recover," she said merrily.

"Hope to be," Zoe answered blandly, stepping out into the corridor.

Just as the shuttle door closed behind Zoe, Inara heard the soft chime of an incoming wave. Stepping to the terminal, she was surprised to see that it originated from the Training House.

"Good afternoon, Inara," the House Mistress said, inclining her head slightly.

"Good afternoon, Mistress," Inara replied.

"It is my duty to inform you that the Tribunal has amended its decision regarding the stipulations of your early retirement," the House Mistress announced.

"How so?" Inara asked, dreading the answer.

"Upon further consideration of all the factors involved in your request, it was the decision of the Tribunal that perhaps we had been a bit….hasty in assigning such high monetary requirements for your case." Looking as if she had just swallowed a plate of lemon slices, the House Mistress continued. "We, of course, would never consider being unfair in our judgments. So, the agreement which you signed has been amended, and the payment schedule has been refigured. I am quite certain that you will be pleased with the differences. I understand that Serenity is on Sihnon now. Is it possible that you could come back to the Training House to sign the new documentation today?"

Inara frowned slightly, not trusting the woman for one moment. "Perhaps you could send a courier with the revised schedule. We are berthed at the docks, and I will be available for the rest of the afternoon."

"As you wish," the House Mistress said with thinly pursed lips. "He will be there within the hour."

"Perfect," Inara said, cutting off the transmission. Wondering what was really going on, she walked to Jayne's bunk and knocked lightly on the door.

"Yeah?" Jayne called out.

"It's me," Inara said. "Can I come in?"

The hatch opened with a hydraulic hiss, and Jayne looked up at her curiously. "Everything okay?"

"Fine," Inara said. "But I just got the strangest wave from the House Mistress. She said that the Tribunal had reconvened and has arrived at another figure for my settlement. And it's apparently lower than the first figure."

"Well, that sounds good," Jayne said, smiling.

"Yes, it does," Inara agreed. "But I don't trust it, considering who gave me the news. The House Mistress wanted me to go back to the Guild House to sign the revised agreement."

"You want I should go with you?" Jayne asked.

"No," Inara answered. "And I'm not going either. I told her to send a courier with the documentation."

Jayne pulled her into his arms. "That's my girl," he said, kissing her forehead.

Inara pulled away. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

Jayne put on his best innocent look. "How would I know what those old biddies were doing?" he protested.

"I don't know," Inara said, eyeing him suspiciously. "But you don't seem too surprised about it."

Jayne shrugged. "Stands to reason they'd come to their senses sooner or later, and realize they were just being hateful. Maybe their better natures won out."

"Maybe," Inara said, still very far from being convinced. "Anyway, I do need you to keep a watch when the courier arrives."

"Gladly," Jayne answered.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	21. Chapter 21

**Black Widow**

**Part XXI—Incidents and Accidents**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: The House Mistress leaves the Guild House, and Inara gets a shock.

XXXXXXXXXX

The House Mistress of Madrassa wearily put the last of her things in the heavy, old trunk. Thinking that she had never imagined leaving the Guild House once she had attained her highly coveted position, she buckled the large stap across the top of the trunk securely. It was unheard of for a person in her position to choose retirement. Generally, a House Mistress left her position only by death.

Staring out the window at the gardens below, she let her mind wander to what kind of funeral service she would have been given had she been able to die where she had intended. Days of suitable mourning followed by an ancient ceremony wrapped in the trappings of the highly favored would have been the natural progression of things, but for the entanglement with Inara Serra and her accomplices. Her mouth drawn into a thin line, she called for a servant to move the packed trunks to the entrance of the Guild House.

She wondered vaguely if some of her acquaintances knew of her real reasons for leaving. How else could one explain the lack of any attempt to dissuade her from her intent? she thought. She had run House Madrassa very well, in her own opinion, and had expected at least a small amount of furor when she had announced her imminent departure. But there had been nothing, beyond a few well wishes from some of her oldest acquaintances. The thought left her feeling empty and strangely adrift. Though she knew she had on any number of occasions bent or broken the rules of the Guild, she had always been meticulously careful to hide her indiscretions well. So, the thought that she would not be missed was a particularly bitter one. Having spent her entire life within the Guild system, she could scarcely imagine what her remaining years might hold.

"Madam, your ride is here," the servant called softly from the doorway.

Drawing a deep breath, the House Mistress straightened her bowed spine and held her head high, as a woman who had attained the position of House Mistress should. Sweeping past the servant quickly, she walked the deserted corridors of the Guild House. As she passed the various classrooms, her ears strained to hear the sounds of the young women there, being taught all the beautiful arts of a Companion of House Madrassa. And her cold heart began to ache with an exquisite pain.

Stepping out into the sunlight of Sihnon, she saw the hovercraft awaiting her. The driver sat staring impassively at the horizon, steadfastly refusing to look at his passenger as she waited for him to get out and open her door. She jerked the door open with irritation, realizing with chilling certainty that this would be her life henceforth. There would be no servants to see to her whims, no deferential companions to cushion the rigors of a regular life. And thanks to the thug with whom Inara Serra was sleeping, there would be much less in the way of physical comforts than she would have liked. One could only live so well with limited funds, she thought bitterly.

Climbing into the hovercraft with a bit of difficulty, she settled herself in as best she could and looked expectantly at the driver. "You may go now," she said, rapping on the partition that separated them. "I am as comfortable as I'm likely to be in such circumstances."

The driver nodded insolently, and the hovercraft darted forward and headed into the heart of the capital city of Sihnon. The House Mistress sat back against the cushions and watched the world passing by as the driver began to weave in and out of the heavily congested streets. Thinking that the city looked much less pleasant than it had the last time she had been there, the former House Mistress drew in another deep breath. Her chest felt uncomfortably tight, and she attributed it to the stress under which she was laboring. She was too old to start afresh, she thought tiredly. She leaned her head back against the cushion, deciding that there was nothing out the window she wished to see. Perhaps a little nap would be in order until she reached her destination.

With her eyes thus closed, the older woman did not see what her driver saw a second too late. He cried out in alarm, causing her to jolt upward in panicked awareness as the hovercraft collided with a much larger craft in the narrow street. Spinning wildly out of control, the hover banked sharply to the left, crashing into a building in its path and igniting a fireball over the entire area. Clawing uselessly at the door, the House Mistress's last coherent thought was of the tiny baby she'd so recklessly given up in exchange for a life that had proven to be much less than she had imagined it would be.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara sat staring at the Cortex screen, her jaw hanging somewhat open in shock. "There must be some mistake," she said when she could speak properly again.

"There is no mistake, Miss Serra. We have confirmed the transaction per your instructions. It is perfectly valid," the banking manager said pleasantly.

"Who would deposit such a large sum in my account?" Inara asked.

"I'm very sorry, Miss Serra, but the depositor asked to remain anonymous. I am required by law to honor the request."

"I understand," Inara said politely. "But you must realize how…unexpected this is. I am quite determined to find out what I wish to know."

The bank manager smiled again, though this time his smile was somewhat less enthusiastic. "Perhaps your benefactor will choose to enlighten you at some later time," he suggested. "But I am not at liberty to release that information. Nor are any of my employees. Now, as to the disposition of your account, is there any way I can be of assistance?"

Inara shook her head. "Not just yet. But I'm sure I'll be calling on you for help soon."

"In that case, good day, Miss Serra. I shall look forward to your next correspondence."

Moving slowly to her desk, Inara pulled out the documents from the Guild House and looked again at the revised amount she owed as penalty for her retirement. She confirmed her suspicions. The amount on the paper before her exactly matched the amount deposited into her account. Knowing this was no coincidence, she went to find Jayne.

She found him in the cargo bay, lifting weights to pass the time. Seeing her, he placed the heavy weights back where they belonged and sat up to greet her. Before he could open his mouth, she said, "What did you do?"

Jayne looked at her in confusion. ""What did I do about what?"

Inara wrinkled her brow. "How did I get such a large sum of money in my account?"

"You got money?" Jayne asked as innocently as he could.

"Don't play games with me, Jayne Cobb," Inara said. "I want to know right now. Where did you get the money?"

"Baby doll, much as I'd like to say I put some money in your account, I didn't," Jayne said, widening his eyes in an attempt to get her to believe him. "How much money we talkin'?"

"Enough to pay off the Guild," Inara replied. "Exactly enough, as a matter of fact."

"Well now, ain't that good news?" Jayne said, smiling widely. "Seems to me you should be dancin' around with joy insteada' looking like a thunder cloud."

Inara stared at him, torn between her intuition and her desire to take his words at face value. "You're not going to tell me, are you?" she said finally.

"What's to tell?" Jayne said, shrugging. "'Parently somebody decided to help you out. You know I ain't got that kinda' money."

"No, but I know someone who does," Inara said, turning on her heels. "And I intend to have a little talk with her."

"Who?" Jayne asked.

"The House Mistress," Inara replied. "Other than you and me, the only people who currently know the amount I owe to the Guild are the members of the Tribunal. And of those, only the House Mistress has the resources to do anything like this."

"Don't know as I'd talk to her about it, Inara," Jayne said lightly. "If'n she didn't want her identity revealed, I expect she ain't too keen on discussin' it."

"I need to know why she did it, Jayne…assuming she did it, that is. She's been nothing but unpleasant to me for the longest time. Why would she do something like this?"

"Maybe because she's old and wants to mend her fences," Jayne said.

"She only a few days older than she was the last time she threatened me," Inara pointed out. "Something just doesn't set right with me about the whole situation. I feel like I'm missing some of the picture." She smiled up at Jayne. "I just want to talk to her. That's all."

"All right," Jayne said, dreading what would come of such a conversation. "You do what you gotta do."

Inara kissed him lightly and headed back to her shuttle to make the wave.

XXXXXXXXXX

Simon stared out the window of his room in the treatment center, his mind moving sluggishly over the events of his latest session with Dr. Li. His body felt as if he'd been hit by Serenity's mule, and maybe backed over a time or two afterward. If nothing else had convinced him that he had a substance abuse problem, the aftereffects of the detoxification process most assuredly had.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the glass of the window. Thinking about his years as a doctor on Osiris, he remembered the vague disdain he'd had for some of the patients he'd seen in the trauma unit, patients strung out on drops whom he'd considered to be the dregs of society. And now, here he stood, himself an addict. A large part of him was horrified at his lack of self control, and though Dr. Li and the other therapists at the treatment center were encouraging him to concentrate on areas of strength, he could not help but be ashamed of the perceived weakness. Knowing that it was an unproductive way of handling the problem did not lessen the tendency to view it in those terms, at least not yet.

He flung himself on the narrow bed, missing Kaylee and Daniel and River. Determined to be with them all again as soon as humanly possible, he stared at the ceiling and began to meditate, using skills learned in his last session with Dr. Li. The doctor had said that one of his greatest strengths lay in his determination to see a matter through to its conclusion. And while Dr. Li had warned that there was really no point at which Simon would not have to be vigilant in his habits and behaviors, he had assured the younger doctor that there would indeed again be a point where Simon would feel in control of his life. And achieving that goal would be the real turning point in his treatment. With a clear prospect in mind, Simon lay on his bed making a silent vow to himself that he would get to that point sooner rather than later.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaylee sat in the common area, watching Daniel's progress as he crawled happily around the room. "Wish Simon was here to see him," she said sadly.

"He will be," River said. "Dr. Li said that the sessions are going well. And the detox went without a hitch."

Kaylee nodded. "I know. I just miss him, is all. I mean, I know he needs to be where he is, but what if it takes a long time? Had a cousin got addicted to the drops, and she weren't ever right again after that."

River took her sister-in-law's hand. "It won't be like that, Kaylee. Simon will be fine. He's strong, and he can beat this, if we can help him."

Kaylee looked intently at River. "You sure about that? I mean, you saw it or anything?"

River shook her head. "Can't foretell the future. Too many variables. But I know this, because I know Simon. He will do what he has to do. He always does."

"S'pose you're right," Kaylee said, her smile returning a little more dimly than usual. "Just hope he can do what needs doin' before Daniel starts pullin' up on things and walkin'. It would just kill Simon to miss his first steps."

As she spoke, Daniel toppled over, having gotten tangled up in his own arms and legs as he crawled. River laughed. "Judging from that, I'd say Simon's got a little time before that happens."

Daniel looked up at them, cooing happily at the sight of his mother's soft smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe slipped into the passenger dorm that was serving as Jim's temporary quarters. Jim looked up, his face lighting when he saw her. "What brings you down here to the sick room?" he asked lightly.

"Just came to check on you," Zoe answered, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Thought you might be in need of something."

"No, I'm good," Jim said. "Just catching up on my reading and such."

"So, no pain?" Zoe asked.

"Not much," Jim said. "Just a little twinge now and then."

Zoe stood slowly, moving with the grace of a panther. "Could be you need some physical therapy to work out that twinge," she said softly.

Jim opened his mouth to protest, but the words died on his lips as Zoe slowly leaned down to kiss him. Enjoying the sweet taste of her lush lips, he pulled her down beside him on the bed, wincing as little as possible when she jostled his hip accidentally.

She pulled back, a slight line appearing on her forehead. "Maybe you ain't quite ready for the kind of therapy I had in mind."

Jim shook his head. "Oh Zoe," he answered, his voice low with desire. "I am more than ready. Been ready a good long time now." As he watched her delicious lips curve into a small smile, he added, "Only you're gonna have to be gentle with me, being as how it's our first time." His blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

Zoe felt warmth spread throughout her body. "Ain't sure I can promise to be gentle the whole time," she whispered against his ear as her hands moved enticingly over his body. "But I'd do my best."

"All a man can ask for," Jim replied huskily.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	22. Chapter 22

**Black Widow**

**Part XXII—And All's Well**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playin' in Joss' sandbox.

Rating: PG

Summary: Conclusion. Inara talks to a Guild representative, and Simon comes home.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara found herself once again looking at the Cortex screen in shock. "When did it happen?" she asked.

"Earlier today," the older woman said. "She was traveling in the city."

"So I assume the typical mourning period will be observed," Inara said, mentally ticking off a list of things that would happen.

The older woman paused for a moment, thinking of how best to phrase her answer. "Actually, there will be no official mourning period," she said finally.

"What do you mean?" Inara asked, more shocked by the moment.

"She had retired as of today," the woman answered sadly. "Said she wished to live out the remainder of her life pursuing other interests. That's why she was in a public hovercraft, you see. She had left the Guild House with the last of her belongings this morning."

"I see," Inara said, her mind reeling with the puzzle of what could have made the House Mistress retire when she has so recently given ample evidence that she wanted to maintain her position.

"I'm sorry, child," the older woman said. "But if you'd like, you can speak with the new House Mistress. She is quite busy at the moment, but I could give her a message."

"No, thank you," Inara said. "That really won't be necessary. Please extend my condolences to the house members."

"Of course," the older woman said, discreetly wiping a tear from her eyes. "I didn't get a chance before to say good-bye, my dear. I will miss having you as a Companion of House Madrassa, but I wish you well with your young man."

"Thank you," Inara said, warmed by the woman's genuine words. "I shall miss you as well. But perhaps we can correspond. I'll be eager to learn about the new House Mistress."

"As will I," the older woman said wryly.

Inara smiled. "The Guild had to have offered you the position as House Mistress first. Am I correct?"

The older woman smiled softly. "You are, but I had no interest in it. Looks to me like a lot of trouble for not very much reward. I'm content to be as I am. Happy to be training the youngest group of the girls. They provide all the challenge I need."

"I understand," Inara said, remembering the things she'd learned at the older woman's feet so many years ago. "But you would have made a marvelous House Mistress all the same."

"Thank you, child," the older woman said. Sighing slightly, she added, "Unless there's something else, I suppose I'd best be getting back to the new Mistress. There is much to be done."

"Of course," Inara said. "We'll speak again soon."

Cutting off the transmission, Inara wondered at the strange turn of events that had led to the death of the House Mistress. Thinking that perhaps it would be best not to delve any deeper into the mystery, she accessed her accounts and made arrangements to pay the Guild her debt in full. As she finalized the transaction, she said a brief prayer of thanks for the burden that had been so conveniently lifted from her slender shoulders.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jim stared at the ceiling, Zoe draped across him sleeping soundly in the aftermath of their earlier passion. Fighting the urge to awaken her with hungry kisses, he settled instead on concentrating on the sensation of her warm skin under his fingertips as he stroked her back slowly.

Zoe had kept her word about being gentle and Jim's hip throbbed no more than it had before. He considered the pleasant heaviness in the rest of his body to be well worth the dull ache of his wound. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember the last time he had felt such a wonderful lassitude in all his muscles, and decided that perhaps he had never felt quite so marvelous after being with a woman.

But then again, he thought, Zoe was no regular woman. Though she was as tough as any man he knew, he was discovering, to his delight, that she was indeed soft in all the right places. And he intended, by the grace of whatever god there might be, to discover still more about her just as soon as he was able. Smiling at the thought, he stretched carefully under her weight.

He felt her lips curve into a smile against the bare skin of his chest. "'M'I too heavy for you?" she asked, starting to move.

"No," Jim said, encircling her with his arms. "Stay right where you are. I'm thinking that I could get used to such a weight lying on me anytime."

"Good to know," Zoe said, repositioning herself more comfortably beside him. "Hate to think I had to work this hard every time."

Jim opened one eye to look at her. "Think I did the hard work," he said, grinning wickedly.

"That a fact?" Zoe asked, beginning to nip lightly at his earlobe.

Jim shivered with the sensation. "Though I'm beginning to think that the job's not quite finished," he murmured into her hair. "Think maybe the workday needs to be extended a bit. Hate to leave a job half done."

"I love a man with a good work ethic," she replied before her words were swallowed by his kiss.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Thirty percent, as promised," Badger said, grinning at the Cortex screen with an obscenely wide grin. "Check your account, if you don't believe me."

"Think I will," Mal said. "Hold on." Quickly accessing the account he'd set up for Badger's deposit, he was astounded by the amount he saw there. Looking back up at the screen with Badger's smiling face, he smiled thinly in return. "That's all?" he asked, pretending to be affronted. "You expect me to believe that the Widow wasn't worth more than that?"

Badger's smile turned quickly into a frown. "Everything she had ain't exactly liquid assets, if you get my meaning. 'Ow's a gent to put a price on some of her 'oldings, after all?"

"Get them appraised," Mal said dryly. "Liquidate them, and get me thirty percent."

"You can't honestly expect me to liquidate everything," Badger said, a note of something close to pleading in his tone. "I need some of this go se to keep the operation runnin'. Can't just pick it clean like a vulture. What kind of businessman would do that?"

"The kind that doesn't want to end up at the wrong end of a gun barrel," Mal said evenly.

"All right, all right," Badger said. "I would have never figured you for a greedy man, Captain Reynolds. What will it take to satisfy your lust for filthy lucre?"

"We'll discuss it when I get to Persephone," Mal replied. "'Til then, don't sell anything without getting a certified receipt. Dong ma?"

"Yes, I understand," Badger said, having lost his earlier good mood. "But we're going to 'ave to come to some other agreement. I don't think we'll make very good partners. Different goals and such."

"Oh, I'm fair certain of that," Mal said, nodding. "We'll talk about that when I get to Persephone too."

"And just when are you thinking that might be?" Badger asked.

"Not rightly sure," Mal answered. "But don't worry. It won't be too long."

"Right," Badger said, thinking privately that any time in the next millennium would actually be too soon to see Reynolds again, if he was coming to collect the rest of his percentage. "Well, 'til then 'ere's to your journeys, mate." Raising a glass into the range of the screen, he gulped it down, letting the liquid fire distract him from his dismal thoughts. With a little luck, maybe something would happen to the hundan before he made it to Persephone, he thought optimistically.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal was right in his assessment of the time that would pass before he could head to Persephone. Once convinced that he did have a problem, Simon, in his typical fashion, set about to correct it by whatever means he could achieve the best and fastest result. Stunning the doctors and therapists at the treatment center, he quickly evidenced that he had a determination that would help him to succeed in his continuing battle with addiction. Convinced shortly that they could do nothing for him beyond providing him with a place to come back to if needed, Dr. Li released him to the care of his family on Serenity.

And though the doctor made Simon promise to check in for regular sessions on the Cortex for the next several months, he felt fairly confident that the young man would be successful in his fight with his inner demons. After taking Kaylee aside to discuss the early warning signs of substance abuse, he signed the order to release Simon and watched with satisfaction as the younger man headed back to his home with an energy born of renewed confidence.

Simon's return was greeted by celebration all around. Looking at the faces of the people he'd come home to, he marveled at the genuine warmth he felt from each of them. Having dreaded facing them after so spectacular a breakdown, he found to his amazement that there seemed to be nothing but joy at his recovery. Understanding more clearly than he ever had that he was not just a necessary part of Serenity's crew as a doctor, but was also valued as a person, both humbled and empowered him for the long road ahead.

As if reading his thoughts, Kaylee squeezed his knee under the galley table and gave him a sunny smile. Simon blushed, wondering if there would ever come a day when Kaylee would cease to have that almost heart-stopping effect on him, and somehow doubting that there ever would. Leaning forward to kiss her, he heard Jayne's snort from somewhere behind him.

"Ain't you two got a bunk for that kinda' thing?" Jayne asked gruffly, though his smile belied his words. "Now that Zoe and Jim are together, ain't a place on this boat without some kinda' public display of affection. And I got to eat in here."

Jim, hobbling about with a cane temporarily, protested. "I don't notice that you're too far off your feed since Zoe and I….got together."

"It's just 'cause I got an iron constitution," Jayne said, grinning and stuffing a heaping spoonful of food into his mouth.

"Don't seem to notice you and Inara bein' any too private," Mal added, chewing more sedately. "The cargo bay ain't exactly the place to be…."

"That won't happen again," Inara said, interrupting him before the little ears at the table heard more than she thought appropriate.

Jayne scowled. "It won't?" he asked, disappointment in his tone.

"Not on the weight bench," she whispered, blushing slightly.

"So," Simon said, trying politely to change the subject. "We're heading to Persephone."

"Yep," Mal said. "Got a little business with Badger, and thought we'd drop in on Lord Harrow too. Tell him in person that the cattle got where they were goin'."

Simon nodded. "Perhaps we can restock the infirmary there then."

Silence fell for an uncomfortable moment, and Simon swallowed nervously. "And if you don't mind, I think it might be best if I have some help stocking the supplies. Someone to sort of help me keep an eye on the inventory."

Mal smiled broadly. "Sounds like a plan," he said, relieved that he had not had to suggest it.

"And I think I'd like to talk a bit with Lord Harrow when we get there," Inara said, seamlessly moving the conversation to safer ground. "Now that I am no longer a member of the Guild, I'm thinking of embarking on a new venture, one on which I'd like to hear his opinion."

"What?" Anya asked curiously.

"I don't want to say just yet," Inara said, smiling at the girl. "But if it works out, I'm sure it's something you'll like."

"Sounds shiny," Anya said, her curiosity aroused.

The rest of the meal passed in pleasant conversation and Mal looked around at his crew contentedly. Their stay on Sihnon had been shorter than he had feared it might be, but it had still eaten into the profit from the Widow's thirty percent. So, he was happy to be on their way again, where he could search for work that would hopefully enable them to keep flying with a little buffer in the accounts. He glanced over at River, who held Hannah in her lap while busily eating with her other hand. "I'll take her," he said softly. "I'm done eating."

River smiled, handing him the baby and turning back to talk with her brother. River's joy at Simon's return shone brightly in the room, lighting her face and radiating outward to warm Mal's heart. Thinking that she looked thoroughly enticing, his mind began to wander to highly pleasurable thoughts.

After several minutes of concentrating on his mental images, he was rewarded by a faint flush that rose from River's chest to her cheeks. She turned to look at him, wicked knowledge in her eyes. He smiled the slow, lazy smile that he knew made her knees go a little weak. Making a great show of yawning, he said, "The dinner was mighty fine, Jim. Got to say you make the best stew among us, except for maybe Kaylee, that is." Kaylee smiled. "But, I think I'll turn in a little early this evenin'. Been a long day." He looked at River pointedly.

"Me too," River said quickly. "I'll just put Adam to bed and…."

"Let me do it," Simon said, ruffling Adam's hair. "I've missed this little fellow."

Adam grinned. "Will you read me a story, Uncle Simon?"

"Maybe two, depending on how well you brush your teeth," Simon said. Turning to River, he said, "You go on to bed. We'll talk in the morning."

River smiled at him gratefully and hurried down the corridor after her husband.

"You think they think we don't know what's going on?" Jayne said, snagging a roll that River had left on her plate.

"I don't think they care," Zoe said blandly, causing the small group to erupt in laughter that seemed to vibrate in tune with the hum of Serenity's engine as she sailed into the Black with her crew safely home.

XXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: So ends another tale of Serenity's crew. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I thank you for taking the time to read and comment. It makes the writing all the more pleasurable. As for future tales, I am currently collaborating again with the wonderfully talented Midnight Obsidian on another tale of Serenity's crew and the crew of the Hit or Miss. Hope you will tune in to read it when it is posted. Until then, happy reading and writing to you all!


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